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JANE 6. AUSTIN, 

Author of “ A Nameless Nobleman," 
“ Nantucket Scraps," etc. 


Entered at Post-Office, New York, as Second-Class Matter. 

Issued Weekly— November 28th, 1891— Subscription, $12.00 per Year. 



5 


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4 Complete Guide for Instruction and Reference in all Matters pertaining to ^ 
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:t^j‘ 


iM V' ' * ‘ 


AMERICAN SERIES. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 



MRS. JANE G. AUSTIN, 





NEW YORK: 

M. J. IVERS & CO., PUBLISHERS, 

86 NASSAU STREET. 



CopyruriUT, iStt), bv F?iak!I 


• A nzfeGL 




Entered according to Act of Congress, in, the year 1892, by 
M. J. I VERS & CO., 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C. 


Queen Tempest, 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE HAUNTED HUT. 

It was noon; the glowing, glorious, golden noon of 
Cuba, in the early spring, before the heats of the later sea- 
son have parched and withered vegetation, and dried the 
life from the human frame; high noon, and yet not so 
warm but that Colonel Marmaduke Tempest found it both 
comfortable and agreeable to ride with his guest, Mr. Philip 
Douglass, from his plantation of Esperanza to the city of 
Havana, a distance of some eight miles, over a road lonely 
and difficult, but picturesque in the highest degree, as it 
wound for a considerable distance over the spur of one of the 
precipitous and forest-clad mountains dividing the island 
longitudinally. Upon the highest point of this ascent the 
two gentlemen drew rein, both for the purpose of breathing 
their horses, and admiring the magnificent view outspread 
before them. 

“ There, Mr. Douglass, does your boasted New England 
offer such a panorama as that, from even its highest hills?^^ 
asked Colonel Tempest, good-naturedly, as he waved his 
hand toward the glittering ocean view bounding the hori- 
zon. 

“ Perhaps not,'^ returned the young gentleman. 
“ But— 

A piercing shriek from the woods behind them cut the 
sentence in two, and caused both men to start and glance 
at each other. Douglass was the first to speak. 

“ What was that? Surely it was a woman's voice!" ex- 
claimed he. 

“Yes, and in distress; but where? Halloo, there!" 
cried Colonel Tempest; and turning to the negro groom 


4 


QUEEiq^ TEMPEST. 


at his heels, he demanded: “What is going on there, 
Pedro? Who lives up there — do you know?’^ 

“Nobody, master, replied Pedro, in the patois of the 
island, and crossing himself devoutly. “ Nobody but the 
spirits. 

“ Spirits, you fool! Spirits don't scream like that. 
Go up the hill and find out; or, stay; I will go myself." 

And Colonel Tempest was throwing himself from his 
horse when Pedro, tumbling to the ground, seized him by 
the knees, his teeth chattering with terror, and his rich, 
coffee-colored complexion turning of a dingy yellow: 

“ Oh, master, master! Oh, master, don't!" gasped he, 
his eyes rolling, and his hands clinched upon his niaster's 
garments. Colonel Tempest looked down at him with a 
mixture of pity and contempt, then, somewhat roughly 
shaking himself free, demanded: 

“ What, in the name of all the furies, do you mean, 
idiot? Speak, or I'll flog you till j^ou're glad to speak. " 

“ Oh, master, the spirits!" gurgled Pedro, and then 
proceeded to explain that a few rods from the road, at 
this point, was a hut, originally built by some lumber sur- 
veyors, and deserted in consequence of a man being mur- 
dered in course of a drunken quarrel. Since then the 
spot had been accursed, haunted, deadly — Pedro could not 
tell what, precisely; but, at all events, to be avoided and 
dreaded by all sensible people, as the fate of the murdered 
man was the very lightest penalty of venturing within 
reach of the demonios who haunted the place. 

“ There, there; enough of that!" cried his master, in- 
terrupting the narrative, and striking off the clinging 
hands. “ Stay here and hold these horses; and mind you 
do stay, sirrah, whatever you may see or hear. Douglass, 
will you come or stay?" 

“ Come, of course, sir," replied the young man, briefly; 
and in another minute, the two were climbing the steep 
ascent, side by side, helping themselves upward by grasp- 
ing at the stems of ilex and palm-trees which composed 
the forest, their branches interlaced ^nd connected by 
monstrous creepers, whose snake-like stems drooped in 
great festoons from the /tree-tops, or swung in still more 
snake-like fashion from their branches. 

“ Terrible work — this climbing — for an old man like 


QUEEN TE.HPEST. 


5 


me,” panted Colonel Tempest, pausing to gasp for breath 
and wipe his reeking forehead. 

“Yes; but I see the hut — close ahead there!” replied 
Douglass, in the same tone; and, passing his companion, 
he pushed rapidly on, and breaking through the wall of 
jungly growth confronting him, found himself in a little 
clearing, already nearly overgrown. 

In the center of this clearing stood a hut slightly and 
carelessly constructed, but not yet fallen into ruins, the 
closed door presenting the appearance of recent repairs. 
A horse, carrying a man^s saddle, was tied to the trunk of 
a small palm, close beside this door, and the figure of a 
negro skulked into the wood at the further side of the clear- 
ing just as Mr. Douglass, with Colonel Tempest behind 
him, appeared at the other. 

AVithout pausing to pursue him, however, Philip Doug- 
lass sprung forward, and knocked violently upon the door, 
from behind which the sound of a smothered conflict was 
plainly to be heard. 

“By Heaven!” exclaimed Colonel Tempest, stopping 
to stare at the horse and his trappings; “ it^s Lupo!” 

“ Open! Open!” shouted Douglass, rattling the door, 
and kicking at its stout planks. 

Colonel Tempest, his face dark with indignation, hesi- 
tated a moment, then stepped aside, so that a person open- 
ing the door would not, at first, distinguish him, and waited 
for the result of the younger man’s increased exertions. 

“ Open, or I will break down the door this moment!” 
shouted Douglass; and a voice not six inches from him, 
although separated by the door, replied briefly: 

“ Go on, stranger! Don’t meddle with what does not 
concern you, or you may fare the worse. Go on!” 

“ I shall not until 1 know what is doing here. Open 
the door!” retorted Philip, bestpwing a yet heartier kick 
upon the stubborn barrier. 

“ Fool! This place belongs to me, and 1 am correcting 
one of my servants — since you will interfere! Now pass 
on, in the devil’s name, or 1 will shoot you through the 
door!” passionately replied the voice; and the ominous 
click of a pistol announced the threat was not an empty 
one. 

Douglass hesitated and glanced at Colonel Tempest, 
whose face was dark with passion. 


6 ' QtEEN TEMPEST. 

“ Insist!’^ whispered he, softly, and still keeping himself 
out of sight; and Douglass again turned to the door. ^ 

“lam not satisfied, signor,^’ said he, in a less violent 
but still more resolute tone. “Be so good as to open the 
door, and allow me to see you, and also your servant, face 
to face. After that I will go on, if you can not be per- 
suaded to clemency.-’^ 

“ Fool! Take it, then!’^ exclaimed the voice, and a 
pistol-ball came crashing through the wood, whizzed within 
an inch of Douglass’s head, and was lost in the forest. 

At the same moment the bar holding the door was 
thrown violently to the ground, the door itself dashed 
open, and the form of a young girl rushed through the 
opening, and, without stopping to glance at her deliverer, 
fled across the clearing to a little footpath dimly defined 
in the jungle, and in another instant was lost to view. 

“ Topaz! I thought so!” exclaimed Colonel Tempest; 
and thrusting Philip Douglass aside, he confronted, in his 
place, the man who now stood upon the threshold. 

This man — tall, sinewy, sallow, meager, and saturnine 
— bore the impress of a Frenchman upon every line of his 
face and figure; also that of an astute and unscrupulous 
character; also that of baffled rage, and an active desire 
for vengeance. 

The sight of Colonel Tempest’s towering figure and 
noble, angry face did not soothe these sentiments, but 
23etrified them; and the occupant of the hut stood like an 
angry tiger turned to stone in act to spring; while the old 
soldier, staring at him with flaming and scornful eyes, 
slowly inquired: 

“ And what are you doing here. Monsieur le Docteur?” 

“ Ah, colonel! is it you?’' stammered the other, his sal- 
low pallor giving place to a dark flush, and the great drops 
breaking out upon his narrow and retreating forehead. 

“ Yes, monsieur, it is 1; and once again I inquire, 
what are you doing here with my servant Topaz?” 

“ Nothing, coloW 1 — ” 

“Pardon me; perhaps I should have your servant 
Topaz,” interrupted the old soldier, with ironical em- 
phasis, “ I believe I understood you to state to Mr. Doug- 
lass, just now, that you were about to punish a servant of 
your own, and as no one appears to be here except your- 
self, we must conclude that the girl who just escaped was 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 7 

the person referred to. Pray, when was she made over to 
the ownership of Doctor Lefevre?’^ 

“ I claim no ownership in her, and do not dispute your 
rights, either* natural or legal, over her,"*" replied the 
Frenchman, with a diabolical smile, as he marked the 
glance of rage and shame elicited by this remark. “ I 
gave that answer,"’ added he, rapidly resuming his presence 
of mind and usual bearing, “ because I supposed the in- 
quirer to be a mere passing stranger, and 1 did not wish 
to expose the family affairs of Esperanza to the public. I 
came here. Colonel Tempest, by a species of accident, and 
I stayed for the purpose of breaking up an intrigue carried 
on in direct disobedience to yours and Miss Tempest’s com- 
mands.” 

“ Explain yourself. Doctor Lefevre, if you please,” re- 
plied Colonel Tempest, sternly; and in a sullen voice the 
Frenchman complied: 

I was riding leisurely along the road, an hour or so 
since, when I overtook Topaz, who did not perceive me; 
and I rode for some distance behind her, until I saw her 
suddenly turn her mule into a little side-path leading away 
from the road and into the mountain. Arriving at the 
spot, I paused for a moment, and then turned up the same 
path, partly from curiosity, partly because I suspected the 
truth. The path led to this spot, and when 1 reached the 
hut. Topaz was already inside. I followed, and forced her 
to confess that she came here to meet Juan — stay, she had 
a note in her hand, and dropped it upon the floor, where I 
presume it still lies. I read it, and will show it to you.” 

So speaking, Dr. Lefevre turned into the cabin. Colonel 
Tempest following him as far as the threshold, and keenly 
watching every movement. 

“ Here it is!” exclaimed the Frenchman, pushing aside 
a wooden stool, and pointing to a bit of crumpled paper 
under it. 

“ Well?” demanded Colonel Tempest, briefly. 

“ Here it is!” repeated the other; and, picking up and 
unfolding the paper, he presented it to the old soldier, 
who, taking it between his finger and thumb, read as 
follows: 

“ Meet me, dearest and most adorable, at the wood- 
cutter’s hut at eleven o’clock on Tuesday. I have some- 


8 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


thing to tell you, and a plan to propose. Do you wish to 
be free and the wife of your faithful lover? Come then 
without fail, loveliest Topaz, and enjoy one hour of bliss 
with Juan."’" 

Colonel Tempest read these words, and dropped the 
scroll as if it burned him, 

“ Topaz brought that note here?^’ demanded he, fixing 
his eyes upon Dr. Lefevre, who returned the glance un- 
shrinkingly. 

“She did; and dropped it here,^^ replied he. “After 
forcing her to confess her plan and relinquish the note, I 
told her that I should keep her until Juan arrived, and 
then take them both back to Esperanza to be punished by 
you. The girl resisted and wished to escape, and 1 closed 
the door, and tried to tie her hands, and prevent her giv- 
ing the alarm to Juan when he should arrive. It was the 
noise of this struggle which you and this gentleman heard, 
1 presume. Juan has not arrived.^’ 

“ A negro escaped into the woods as we came up; but I 
do not think it was your boy. Colonel Tempest,^' interposed 
Philip Douglass, pointedly addressing his host. 

Dr. Lefevre glanced at him With marked annoyance. 

“ You could not distinguish in the distance, perhaps, 
monsieur,^' said he, contemptuously. 

“ Perhaps not; but my impression is a strong one,^^ re- 
plied Douglass. 

“ Very well. . The matter shall be investigated ujjon 
my return home,” interposed Colonel Tempest, coldly. 
“ i\lr. Douglass, shall we resume our journey?” 

And the two gentlemen returned to their horses, while 
the Frenchman, black and yellow with rage, stood in the 
door of the hut, watching their retreating figures, and 
gnawing his thin mustache. 

CHAPTER II. 

THE VENGEANCE OF THE SPIRITS. 

“ That is a great rascal, and 1 suspect that some of his 
usual treacherous villainy is hidden in this affair,” ex- 
claimed Colonel Tempest, as the two gentlemen rode on 
toward Havana, Pedro, still pale and agueish with fright, 
following closely in the roar, 


QUEE^T TEMPEST. 9 

“ Is Doctor Lefovre a member of your household in- 
quierd Douglass, with a little hesitation. 

“ Yes; but not a favorite one. Pardon me, but he and 
his residence at Esperanza are not agreeable topics to me,^^ 
replied Colonel Tempest, with a look of annoyance upon 
his fine face — a look rapidly reflected from that of his 
guest, who hastened to reply : 

“ Certainly; they are not topics at all connected with my 
visit at Esperanza, which is purely a business one. 1 hope, 
sir, you will not imagine me desirous of intruding upon 
your domestic affairs.^’ 

“ Pho — pho, Douglass! don’t fire up at an old man like 
me,” interrupted Tempest, good-humoredly. “ And if 
you came to Esperanza this time to see the sugar crop, you 
shall come another time to see me and — my family. ” 

It was upon Philip Douglass’s lips to say that he did not 
know that Colonel Tempest had any family; but the re- 
membrance of the check he had received in the matter of 
Dr. Lefevre restrained him, and he was silent. "VV hen the 
elder gentleman spoke again it was in a different tone, and 
with a startling^ abruptness of manner. 

“ Douglass,” said he. “1 am going to have my will, 
drawn this afternoon, and I intend to name you its execu- 
tor. Will you accept the charge?” 

“ Willingly, sir — if, unfortunately, there should be occa- 
sion for so sad a proof of my regard for you.” 

“ Yes, yes, young man, I know all of that; but, without 
compliments or professions, I may count upon you, should 
you be resident in Havana at the time of my decease, to 
fill the position of executor to my will and guardian of — 
my heiress. Ami correct?” 

“ Quite correct, sir.” 

“ And don’t be huffy, Philip Douglass, because an old 
soldier’s manner may be somewhat peremptory and brief. 
We will talk again of this, and I will explain the peculiar 
circumstances in which my girl is placed, and the necessity 
I am under of providing her with a competent defender 
and guardian, if — but I will not begin now. Come out to 
Esperanza, and spend to-morrow night, Douglass; and you 
shall have the whole story, and be introduced to Regina. 
VVill you come?” 

‘‘ With pleasure, sir. But I hope you are not ill, 
colonel, or have any reason to fear any sudden fatality?” 


10 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“Not the least, my boy — not the least; but who knows 
what a day may bring forth? And I have never made a 
will or provided, as 1 should, for my little queen. But 
here our roads separate, as 1 am going to Salud to find 
Don Jose Christoval, my friend and notary. I will see 
you at your hotel before I leave town; or, if 1 should fail 
to do so, will expect you at Esperanza to dinner to- 
morrow. 

And so the two parted, little dreaming of the strange 
and terrible meeting awaiting them; and Philip Douglass, 
riding lazily into the town, amused himself with wondering 
what manner of person Colonel TempesPs daughter Regina 
might be, and what were the strange and mysterious cir- 
cumstances surrounding her, to which her father alluded. 

At his hotel the young man found an invitation to din- 
ner with some gay friends, and accepting it, did not return 
to his lodgings until a late hour in the evening. Feeling 
somewhat heated and excited with his festivities, Douglass 
did not at once retire to rest; but, extinguishing his light, 
seated himself at his window for a quiet cigar and a little 
composing reverie. This latter soon became so deep, how- 
ever, that both the cigar and the position were forgotten, 
and the young man^s thoughts were many hundreds of 
miles from Havana when they were recalled by the sound 
of his own name. 

“ Signor Douglass — Philip Douglass.’^ 

Philip started, glanced about him, recalled his mind to 
things of the present moment, realized that some person, 
seated in the balcony below his window was speaking of 
him; and, without thought of surprising any secret — in 
fact, supposing that some casual acquaintanqp was men- 
tioning his name— he listened for the next words, expecting 
to recognize the speaker’s voice. 

These next words were startling. 

“ I tell you, yes. The old man himself said to me that 
he wished, of all things, to marry Regina to this Douglass, 
and intended to propose it to him!” 

“ The devil he did ! And you, my friend — what did you 
say to that little project?” 

“ 1 told him that, if the Signor Douglass knew all that 1 
knew, he would, perhaps, make some trouble about our 
little queen’s maternal ancestry!” 


QUEE2T TEMPEST. 


11 


“ What! you don’t mean that there’s a black drop in 
the lovely queen’s veins?” 

“ Not a bit of it. Her mother was a French woman; 
* and thereby hangs a tale known to Colonel Tempest and 
myself, and to none other, at present. But it is just with 
this story that I intend to work the little drama, whose 
denouement is the marriage of the fair Regina to Felicien 
Lefevre — your humble and unworthy friend. ” 

“ You will marry the heiress, then?” 

“ Yes; such is my destiny.” 

“You will threaten the colonel with the betrayal of this 
mysterious secret, concerning the little queen’s ancestry, 
to the Douglass?” 

“ I will suggest that such a thing might be done.” 

“ But this will make the old mustache prodigiously 
angry, and not in the least affectionate toward a son-in-law 
who shakes his fist in his face even while asking the hand 
of his daughter and heiress.” 

“ True; but there is something more in this secret than 
you suspect. There is a terrible disgrace to the proud 
colonel, and 'one very dear to him. He will not drive me 
to extremity. He knows his own danger; and after we 
have had a plain talk to-morrow, he will give me the fair 
Regina and his blessing.” 

“Not to mention Esperanza.” 

“ Not to mention Esperanza, and some half a million of 
dollars beside. Papa-in-law is very rich, and he is In my 
power— all and completely in my power!” 

Philip Douglass drew back from the window, blaming 
himself that he had heard so much, yet eagerly longing to 
hear a great deal more. He had already recognized the 
harsh and strident voice of the Frenchman of the mount- 
ain cabin, even before he announced his name in conjunc- 
tion with that of Regina Tempest; and the instinctive dis- 
like he had felt from the first moment of seeing him was 
now increased to a serious conviction that the Frenchman 
was an unscrupulous villain, and that he meditated some 
deadly mischief toward Colonel Tempest and his daughter. 

But, however sure he might himself feel upon this point, 
Douglass could not find Himself justified in warning Colonel 
Tempest upon the strength of an overheard conversation, 
or of betraying to him an acquaintance with the private 
concerns so jealously guarded by the haughty old soldier. 


12 


QUEEN* TEMPEST. 


An hour of anxious thought failed to solve the problem 
thus presented to the young man^s honorable mind, and he 
finally retired to rest without having resolved upon his 
future course. But Fate and another had already deter- 
mined it for him, and announced their decision through 
the lips of the negro Pedro, who, in the early morning 
twilight, stood beside the young man’s pillow, and, shak- 
ing him by the shoulders, hoarsely cried: 

“ Mas’ Douglass, Mas’ Douglass! come to master before 
he dies!” 

“ What! — dies! Oh, is it you, Pedro? What is the 
matter?” stammered Douglass, struggling with his slum- 
bers. 

“ Master is dying — dead, maybe — killed by the spirits 
of the mountain. I told him how it would be. ” 

But Philip, now fully aroused, cut short the rambling 
lament into which Pedro was lapsing; and, with brief, 
sharp questions, elicited the facts. These were, that dur- 
ing his master’s visit to the notary, Pedro had improved 
his opportunities so well that, when Colonel Tempest was 
ready to leave the town, Pedro was too drunk to stand, sit, 
or walk, and had, consequently, been left behind, with 
orders to the servants of the hotel to send him home as 
early in the morning as he should be able to ride. This 
period had, however, arrived in the middle of the night, 
and Pedro^ with returning consciousness, had experienced 
such a wholesome dread of punishment as induced him to 
endeavor to avert, or mitigate it, by a very early appear- 
ance upon the scene of his duty, and had stolen out of the 
hotel and the city before the earliest cock-crow. 

Arrived nearly opposite the spot where his master had 
entered the woods to inquire the cause of the shriek which 
had so startled him, Pedro was terrified by hearing a groan, 
sounding almost under his horse’s feet. In the act of flight 
he was arrested by hearing his own name, and summoning 
courage to return and dismount, he had found his master. 
Colonel Tempest, lying in the road, shot through the chest, 
and rapidly bleeding to death. Stanching the wound as 
best he might, Pedro removed the wounded man to a safer 
position beside the road, and was then about to ride for 
help, when Colonel Tempest, detaining him, whispered: 

“ Call Mr. Douglass, and no one else. ” 

“ And so, Mas’ Douglass, I came straight away for you, 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


13 


and I hope we^ll find him alive; but I don^t know. He 
would go and make the spirits mad, and now they've done 
for him, I'm most afraid. " 

But Douglass was already dressed, and rushing out of 
his room. Five minutes later, he had his horse out of the 
stable, saddled and bridled him almost without assistance, 
threw himself upon the back of the spirited creature, and 
dashed out of the court-yard. 

“ Oh, these white devils I How they tear through their 
lives, as if they looked for something better than a grave 
at the end," soliloquized Manuel, the negro head of the 
stables, as he watched the retreating figure with keen dis- 
gust, for a moment, and then returned to his straw and 
his dreams. 

Before he had fairly reached them, however,' black Moro 
was stretching his sinewy limbs upon the mountain road, a 
mile beyond the outskirts of the town; and, half an hour 
later, Douglass threw himself from his back, and stooped 
over the ghastly body of the murdered man, laid by Pedro's 
pious care upon a bank of soft, green moss, some of which 
was heaped for a pillow. 

Life, although at its lowest ebb, was not extinct, and 
Colonel Tempest could yet press the hand of his friend, 
and faintly murmur: 

“ Thanks, Douglass. 1 tried to wait for you. I made 
my will yesterday; Regina has everything. Promise that 
you will marry her. Tell her I wished it. " 

“ Oh, my poor friend, that I should be obliged to refuse 
you at such a moment!" exclaimed Douglass, in genuine 
distress. “ But I am already betrothed.'' 

A groan burst from the lips of the dying man, and an 
added shade of pallor fell upon his gray-white face. 

“ Promise me, then, that you will take her home to your 
own home — to your mother — and keep her there until she 
marries as you approve — never that villain — never!" 

“ Never Doctor Lefevre?" asked Douglass, anxiously. 

“Who speaks of Lefevre?" demanded a harsh voice 
from behind; and turning suddenly, Philip beheld a figure 
looming, unnaturally large, through the early morning 
mist — the figure of a man on horseback. 

“ Villain, it was you! — destroyer of body and soul. I 
curse you with my last breath! It was you who — " 

But, as the wounded man raised himself, with out- 


14 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

stretched arm and quivering finger, directing his accusa- 
tion, a gush of blood choked his utterance; and almost be- 
fore Philip could support him, he sunk back, lifeless, in 
his arms. 

Dr. Le,fevre threw himself from his horse, and lightly 
touched the wrist, temple and heart. 

“ He is quite dead,’^ said he, coldly, as he rose to his 
feet. Philip Douglass rose also. 

“ And who killed him?’' asked he, in a terrible voice. 


CHAPTER III. 

LIVING GOLD. 

“ Who killed him?” repeated Dr. Lefevre, taking a 
cigar-case from his pocket and carefully selecting a 
Havana. “ Ma foi, perhaps it was Mr. Philip Douglass.” 

“And perhaps Doctor Lefevre,” hotly retorted the 
young man. 

His opponent looked at him with an evil sneer. 

“ Signor, your words are an insult; did you know it?” 
asked he, slowly. 

“And what were yours. Monsieur le Docteur?” 

“ Perhaps an insult also. We are men, and we carry 
pistols; the spot is lonely, and the light admirable. Sup- 
pose we settle our little difference at once, and whoever 
comes to bury our late lamented friend, can do for one of 
us at the same time.” 

So saying, the Frenchman coolly drew and cocked his re- 
volver, without, however, thinking it necessary to with- 
draw the just lighted cigar from between his lips. Doug- 
lass hastily put his own hand to his breast-pocket, and as 
hastily withdrew it, while a contemptuous smile replaced 
the wrathful expression of his features. 

“ Ah, yes,” said he, slowly. “ I see. You wish to 
force me into a quarrel, and after having killed or driven 
me away, remain master of the field, and carry out certain 
schemes, of which 1 am already aware. I shall not fight 
with you. Doctor Lefevre, but I shall protect my life from 
your assaults as carefully as possible; for it belongs, just 
now, not only to myself, but to the orphan of this mur- 
dered man, whom his latest breath placed under my 
charge. ” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


15 


“ A charge you will probably be very glad -to relinquish, 
when you become acquainted with the antecedents of your 
ward, including her relations with unworthy self,^’ 
sneered Dr. Lefevre. 

But Douglass, turning from him in silent disgust, pro- 
ceeded to empty the pockets of the dead man — transferring 
the papers, money and valuables contained in them to one 
of his own. 

“ Do we add the profession of highwaymen to our other 
accomplishments?’’ inquired the Frenchman, watching the 
procedure with undisguised curiosity. 

“ I am compelled to leave the body of my friend un- 
guarded while I go to seek for help, and I think it most 
prudent to remove such matters as might prove a tempta- 
tion to unscrupulous persons,” coolly replied Douglass. 

Madre di Dios, signor! Do you refer to me?'’ de- 
manded the Frenchman, making a stride forward. 

“ You shall judge of that for yourself. Doctor Lefevre,” 
replied Douglass, without emotion; and having spread a 
handkerchief over the white face, of the dead, ho threw 
himself into the saddle, and shot down the mountain road, 
without ceremony of leave-taking. 

Half-way to the city he encountered Pedro, and ordered 
him to hasten to his master’s side, and remain there until 
help should arrive; an order very unwillingly obeyed by 
the negro, whose terror of “ spirits” was not lessened by 
the immediate proximity of a dead body, although it might 
be the remains of one who, in life, had been his most relia- 
ble protector. 

But pausing for no parley, Douglass put Moro again to 
his speed, nor paused until he reached the police-station of 
the Havana, where he at once gained audience of the prin- 
cipal officer on duty at the moment, and entered his formal 
narration of all the circumstances attending the murder in 
which he was in any manner concerned. 

This done, and an escort detailed to find and take pos- 
session of the body of Colonel Tempest, Douglass gave 
bonds for his reappearance, when required, and, merely 
pausing for such rest and refreshment as nature impera- 
tively demanded, he again took to the road for Esperanza. 
On the way he overtook the squad of officials proceeding 
toward the scene of the murder, and paused to direct that 
the body should be brought on to Esperanza as soon as the 


16 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


formalities of ,the law would allow. A little further on, 
he found Pedro seated at the foot of the corpse, his face 
hidden in his hands, his whole frame quivering with terror, 
yet faithful to his trust. Pausing to reassure him with the 
news of the approaching escort, and to glance reverently 
at the shrouded face and magnificent lifeless figure of his 
friend, Douglass rode on, but now more slowly; for the 
question of how he should present himself before the 
orphan — how he should break to her the terrible news of 
which he was the bearer, how he should comfort or check 
the tropical grief and despair which he foresaw — all these 
questions rose before the young man’s mind, and in each 
he found a new barrier to his progress, and from each he 
gained a new distaste to his task. 

“ I almost hope the Frenchman may have told her,” 
muttered he; and then, blushing with shame at the cow- 
ardice of the thought, he set spurs to Moro’s black sides, 
and never paused again until he found himself at the foot 
of the steps leading to the broad and vine-shaded veranda 
of Esperanza — the magnificent country-^eat of the late 
Colonel Tempest. 

A servant lounging upon the steps sprung forward to 
take the visitor’s horse; and Douglass, slipping a present 
into his hand, desired him to take good care of the beast, 
and to send Miss Tempest’s maid to him as soon as possi- 
ble. 

“ There is Juan, master. He can tell all about it,” re- 
plied the man, grinning, as he Ipd Moro away. 

And Douglass, mounting the steps, encountered a hand- 
some, bright mulatto, who bowed smilingly, while he said : 

“ Good-morning, Mr, Douglass. I had the honor to see 
you yesterday, sir.” 

“ Oh, yes! 1 remember you, Juan. Your master spoke 
of you very highly, and 1 can see that you are an intelli- 
gent fellow, and the best person to tell the other servants 
of the terrible misfortune which has befallen them, and 
all of us. Juan, your master is dead! — murdered, I fear!” 

“Dead! murdered!” exclaimed Juan, all color, save a 
tawny gray, fading from his face, and his handsome eyes 
dilating with horror. 

“ Yes. And you must at once get me an interview with 
Miss Tempest. I must break this news to her before she 
hears it from the servants. ” 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


17 


“1 will call Topaz. Dead! Murdered!^' muttered 
Juan, in a dazed and horror-stricken way; and turning 
into the house, he made a few steps through the hall, then 
suddenly returned, aud coming close to Philip Douglass, 
laid a hand upon his arm, and hoarsely whispered : 

“ Where’s Doctor Lefevre?” 

Something in the tone and manner, more than the words, 
sent a shudder through the young man’s frame; and 
almost in the same tone which the mulatto had used, he 
hastily asked : 

“ Why do you want to know?” 

“ Where is he, sir?” 

“ T don’t know. What do you mean, Juan?” 

“ Excuse me, sir. I didn’t know what I was saying. 
I’ll go call Topaz,” murmured Juan, and glided away, 
leaving Douglass perplexed and annoyed. 

Standing upon the shaded veranda, lost in thought, he 
was aroused by the murmur of a soft voice at his elbow. 

“Juan said you wanted to see me, sir. ” 

He turned suddenly, and found himself face to face 
with the most singular-looking woman it had ever been his 
fortune to encounter. Singular, but whether beautiful or 
ugly, attractive or repulsive, Douglass found himself totally 
unable to decide. 

The figure, lithe, rounded, and abounding in sweeping 
curves, would have been the type of grace and lissom 
youth, had not a certain undulating movement, perceptible 
even in repose, suggested the smooth power of a serpent’s 
folds, or the iron muscles beneath the sleek fur of a tigress. 
The head, small, well-set and gracefully borne, would have 
been full of statuesque beauty, had not the low forehead 
retreated so sharply from the straight line of the eyebrows 
and hidden itself so quickly beneath the heavy masses of 
rippling hair. 

But, after all, it was in the coloring that the peculiarity 
of this human picture lay; for, as a rare and wonderful 
picture, Philip Douglass — connoisseur of female loveliness 
in every clime and under every circumstance — looked upon 
this woman before him, noting every beauty, every defect; 
noting, too, with a wonder almost amounting to horror, 
that, to the composition of this picture, went but one color; 
varying, to be sure, through many tints, yet always the 
same. The hair, rich, abundant and carefully dressed. 


18 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


was of a dead-gold color; the brows and lashes of a deeper 
tint; the eyes, crouching so warily beneath their lashes, of 
a clear, brilliant yellow; and the skin of the shoulders, 
arms, throat— exposed in all their exquisite proportions — 
of a delicate, creamy Jiue, like the petals of a tuberose. 

For costume, this nymph fresh from the golden fount- 
ain, as she seemed, wore a robe of silken, gauzy stuff, 
boldly striped in two shades of gold-color, and girdled it 
about her slender waist with an Oriental scarf of cloth of 
gold. A chain of sequins about the rippling'hair and 
slender throat completed the costume, and added the last 
touch to the indescribable effect of the whole. 

“ I am Topaz, sir — her majesty’s maid,” said the girl 
again, finding her first appeal unanswered. 

“ Topaz! Yes, I should think so,” replied Douglass, 
almost unconscious of what he was saying. “ But — her 
majesty — what do you mean by that?” 

“ My mistress, sir, is the Queen of Esperanza, and is 
always called so,” replied Topaz, demurely lowering her 

■ ' 8, but whether modestly or slyly, Douglass could 



“ Indeed! Well, you tell Miss Tempest that Mr. Philip 
Douglass — stay, here is my card — wishes to see her on very 
important business. Juan has told you of your master’s 
death, has he not?” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied the girl, briefly, and still Douglass 
could not determine whether the glitter of the golden eyes 
was one of sorrow, of joy, or of hope. He was, however, 
conscious, in his own despite, of a feeling of growing dis- 
taste to this wonderful golden image so strangely imbued 
with life; and averting his eyes, he coldly said: 

“ Very well; do not let your mistress suspect my errand, 
but tell her that 1 beg to see her at once. You may add 
that I came from her father, if you like.” 

“Yes, sir,” replied Topaz; and glided away, trailing 
the folds of her glittering yellow robes through the dusky 
hall, in so serpent-like a fashion that Douglass half shiv- 
ered as he stepped into the sunshine upon the steps. 

“ I’d trust the Frenchman as soon as her,” thought he. 
“ 1 wonder if his story was not true about her visit to the 
mountain hut?” 

The question still agitated his mind, when, without his 
having heard her approach. Topaz stood again beside him. 


19 


QTTET51T TEMPEST. 

“ The queen can no^; s^rant you an audience this morn- 
ing, sir,’’ said she, ^....houfc raising her eyes. Douglass 
fawned at what he deemed an ill-timed jest. 

“ I must see Miss Tempest, and without delay,” said 
he, imperatively, “ Did you tell her so?” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ And did you say that I come from her father?” 

“ That is the reason she will not see you, sir.” ' 

“ That the reason? What do you mean?” 

“ The queen thinks, sir, that her father has sent a mes- 
sage to her by you, and she does not want to hear it.” 

“ What message?” 

“ I can not say, sir.” 

“ Go back and tell your mistress that I must see her 
upon an errand of life and death, and immediately. Do 
you understand?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

And once again the girl glided away, leaving a faint, 
musky odor upon the morning air as she passed. In a 
few moments she retifrned. 

“ Her majesty will not see you, sir,” said she, quietly. 
But before Douglass could reply, a boy about ten years 
old, handsome as an ebony doll, and dressed, in quaint, 
barbaric splendor, as a page, came skipping down the hall. 

“ Her majesty will see the gentleman. Topaz,” said he; 
and Topaz, without remark, turned her head toward 
Douglass, and then led the way through the great hall 
and through a narrow corridor, to a wing of the house 
almost disconnected from the main body of the building, 
and devoted exclusively to the use of the Queen of Espe- 
ranza. 

Topaz unlocked the door of the ante-chamber with a 
key hanging at her girdle, and standing aside, motioned 
Philip Douglass to enter. 


CHAPTER IV. 

A TERRIBLE SHOCK. 

The sight which met the young man’s eyes, as, passing 
through the ante-chamber, he stood, hesitating, in the room 
beyond, was singular, almost fantastic, and yet almost in- 
credibly beautiful. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


In the center of a large, circular room paneled with sea- 
green silk covered with gossamer-like lace, and carpeted 
with white velvet, was heaped a pile of silken cushionsj^f 
the same cool, green tint; a luxurious arm-chair and a 
couple of low stools stood near, but of other seats there 
were none; the rest of the furniture consisted of a table 
loaded with expensive and useless trifles, a mirror reaching 
from 'floor to ceiling, and an Hagere crowded with the same 
trifles that filled the table; books, except a few volumes of 
engravings and a half dozen stor}^ books adapted to a 
child’s tastes, there were none; but some fine paintings 
hung among the green tapestries, and a statue or two 
gloomed cold and white against that glacial background. 
An arched door- way, its curtains of silk and lace carelessly 
looped aside, showed a luxurious bedroom, its couch of 
carved ivory, its draperies rose-colored silk and sun-white 
embroidered muslin; and beyond this again a bath-room, 
lined with great slabs of rose-veined white marble. At 
either side of the entrance to the bedroom, smaller doors 
admitted to an aviary and a corfservatory; the former, 
which was closed, consisting of a single gigantic pane of 
glass; the latter standing open, and allowing the entrance 
of a cloud of voluptuous yet delicate perfumes. 

Upon the piled cushions, in the center of the principal 
room, reclined the mistress of all this splendor — the little 
queen whose despotic rule had never yet been questioned 
or disobeyed — Regina, the unconsciously orphaned daugh- 
ter and heiress of Colonel Marmaduke Tempest of Espe- 
ranza. Upon this girl — whose caprice afforded him ample 
time to study both herself and her surroundings before she 
deigned to notice his presence — upon this girl Philip Doug- 
lass fastened his eyes, while feelings of pity, admiration, 
wonder, and perplexity made chaos in his ordinarily calm 
and equable mind. That she was richly, rarely beautiful 
no man could doubt. Fifteen years beneath the sun of the 
tropics had brought to its earliest maturity a form slender 
and chaste as that of Diana, rounded and soft as that of 
Hel3e, full of sweet promises, yet delicate and original as a 
white lily wet with morning dew; the long, sleepy eyes at 
first seemed black, but when opened by surprise, anger, or 
delight, showed themselves of the clear crystalline blue of 
the sapphire or the deep sea; the hair, eyebrows and lashes 
were of chestnut, richly tinted with dark red; the com- 


QUEEN TEMPEST.. 


21 

plexion was of the pure, unsunned, opaque white, known 
to the French as m.al — a complexion only to be found in 
the passionate lands of the sun and the equator, and ex- 
pressing more fully than any other, the luxury of life, the 
joys of existence, the fullness of love; below the little nose, 
straight and classic as that of Venus, curved a mouth in 
itself a romance, a picture, a song, a dream— a mouth so 
proud, so loving, so tender, so haughty, so innocent, and 
so imperious, so tempting to a lover’s kiss, so repellently 
pure, that he who had watched it for a year would have 
found himself less able to describe it at last than was 
Philip Douglass, when, after a few moments’ scrutiny, he 
felt himself obliged to break the silence which was becom- 
ing absurd if not awkward. 

“ Miss Tempest!” said he, courteously, and advanced a 
step toward the pile of cushions. The young girl slightly 
turned her head, and fixed her half-61osed eyes upon the 
speaker, but without interrupting her amusement of twist- 
ing a string of curiously carved pink coral beads round and 
round her slender wrist. The look, the careless attitude, 
the silence, were all insufferably insolent; and Philip felt 
a slight flush rise to his brow, not lessened as his eyes fell 
upon his own card crumpled and thrown upon the floor at 
Miss Tempest’s feet. With an effort he broke the silence 
afresh. 

“ I came from your father. Miss Tempest, and my 
errand is — ” 

“ Ah, yes; papa mentioned it, Mr. — a— a — ” 

“ Mr. Douglass,” suggested Philip, stooping and raising 
his insulted card, smoothing it, and laying it upon the 
young lady’s knee. •" 

She did not, however, glance at it, but fixing her eyes 
upon the beads, contemptuously drawled: 

“ Oh, yes — Mr. Douglass it was, I believe. Well, Mr. 
Douglass, papa told me yesterday of the plan you two had 
contrived; and I admitted you to-day to say that I am ex- 
tremely surprised at your audacity, and suppose that you 
must, in some manner, have imposed upon papa to induce 
him even to listen to such nonsense. It vvill be entirely 
useless for you ever to speak to him again upon the sub- 
ject, or to apply for another interview with me. That is 
idl, 1 believe. You may go now.” 

“ Good heavens. Miss Tempest! Of what are you speak- 


22 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


ing, and what do you mean? Is this a pure insult, or are 
you laboring under some strange mistake?^'' exclaimed 
Douglass, irritated for the moment beyond his own con- 
trol, and stung to the quick by the contempt and disdain 
of this girl’s words, looks and tone. 

But to his indignant expostulation Queen Tempest re- 
turned only a pettish movement, or gesture of dismissal, 
and the muttered words: 

“ Stupid! How long will he annoy me in this fashion?” 

Douglass waited for a moment, struggling to regain his 
composure, and watching Regina, who, all unmoved, played 
with her beads, apparently unconscious of his presence. 
Then he moved still nearer to her, and spoke very calmly: 

“ Miss Tempest, there is some strange mistake between 
us. It is impossible you should guess my sorrowful errand 
here; and I can not imagine of what you speak when you 
accuse me so unjustly of audacity, deceit — ” 

“ Nonsense!” interposed Regina, suddenly sitting up- 
right, and flinging the necklace angrily upon the floor. 
“ Ot what use are all these words? Papa told me yester- 
day that he was about to make a match for me with a 
young American gentleman — Mr. Philip Douglass — and 
that he should bring him here to-da 3 % and present him for 
my acceptance. You see, I knew it all, and 1 am only 
surprised that papa should not have attended to my wishes 
more exactly. I told him that 1 would not marry Mr. 
Philip Douglass, or Mr. Anybody-else; not only because 1 
prefer remaining as I am to being married, but because I 
can not marry without making a mesalliance. It is the 
penalty of my position, as it was that of Queen Elizabeth. 

I shall live and die simply Regina of Esperanza. Now, 
will you go?” 

“ My poor child!” muttered Philip Douglass; and, with 
no further ceremony, drew one of the stools toward Regina’s 
throne, and seated himself close beside her. “As I 
thought,” said he, very kindly, “there is here a terrible 
mistake. Your father never mentioned — that is to say — 
your father knew that I am already engaged to a young 
ladv in my own country, and the honor he intended or 
would have proposed — ” 

“Stop, sir!” interposed Regina, her eyes, for the first 
time, opening wide, and showing their brilliant blue irises. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 23 

luminous with anger. “ Do I understand that you are re- 
fusing my alliance — and before it is offered to you?’* 

“Heaven forbid!” exclaimed Douglass, almost in 
despair. “ What 1 have to say is altogether of a different 
nature. 1 have to tell you of disaster, of loss, of sickness, 
suffering, oE the worst of all ills — of death!” 

“ Death! Whose death can affect me?” asked Regina, 
still haughtily and carelessly. 

“ My poor child! It 'is of your father that I have to 
speak,” said Douglass, solemnly. 

Regina started to her feet and confronted him with 
angry incredulity. Douglass met her gaze with one of 
sympathy, of steadfastness, of protection. In the pause 
that ensued the sound of many feet was heard, passing the 
windows of the pavilion, and approaching the main en- 
trance of the house. Regina heard, and the clear pallor 
of her face gave place to a ghastly White; Douglass heard, 
and tenderly approaching the orphan girl, he took her hand 
ill his. Quick as thought, Regina threw it off, and clinch- 
ing her own hand and stamping her slender foot, cried, in 
a furious voice: - 

“ It is not so! it is not so! It can not — shall not be! 
You are deceiving me — you! My father is safe — is well; 
and we need no croaking raven like you to com(3 between 
us two. Away! out of my sight, sir! I shall go to meet 
my father, and — What! Would you detain me?” 

“ Pardon me. Miss Tempest; but you must not go until 
I have told you all. You would be too much shocked. I 
dare not allow you to see him yet. ” 

And Douglass, wondering at his own audacity, placed 
himself in the door- way leading to the anteroom, and stood, 
a hand upon either door-post, barring the passage. 

Regina remained for a moment, staring haughtily in his 
face, then, without a word, turned and passed rapidly into 
the conservatory, and out through the open sash- window 
to the lawn surrounding the house. 

Douglass, muttering anathemas on his own want of fore- 
sight, followed; but, unfamiliar with the ground, failed to 
overtake the flying footsteps of the girl until she had lightly 
run up the steps and entered the main hall of the house. 
Hastening after, Douglass found that the body of the mur- 
dered man, stretched upon the black, official bier, and cov- 
ered with a black pall, had been set down in the center of 


24 : 


QUEEN TEMPEST.- 


the hull; while the bearers, clustered together in u con- 
fused group, exchanged whispered communications with 
the servants of the establishment, who stood as if stupefied 
with the suddenness of their calamity, and glancing doubt- 
fully and timidly at Regina, who stood just within the 
door, her e 3 ^es fixed upon the bier, an angry horror, com- 
bating with a terrible fear, upon her face. 

Just as Douglass appeared, she moved forward in a 
strange, mechanical manner, step by step, her eyes, still 
fixed upon the bier, dilating strangely, her white lips 
shrinking from the small teeth beneath, her hands stiffly 
clinched at her sides. So, frozen, as it were, into an image 
of horror and dismay, she moved slowly forward, until, 
standing beside her father^s bier, with one sudden motion 
she tore the covering from his face and stood staring down 
at its livid features, her own well-nigh as white and rigid. 

At last she raised her eyes, and slowly turned them all 
around the silent and trembling group of servants and 
officials; then upon Douglass, who, mute and distressed, 
stood close beside her, not knowing how to cope with this 
first terrible anguish of the daughter’s grief. 

“ Who has done this?” muttered Regina, her stiff lips 
hardly parting to allow the words to pass. 

Douglass sadly shook his head. 

“ God knows! We do not,” said he. 

“ But 1 will know! Do you hear me, sir? I, the child 
of this murdered man — 1, standing here beside his bier, 
demand the name of his murderer! Give it to me!” 

“ I do not know it, Regina. He was found thus, upon 
the road between here and Havana. No man knows the 
secret of his murder — none save he who did it.” 

“ And he called you friend!” 

“ 1 was his friend; I am now the friend of his daughter, 
whom he intrusted to my care. Regina, let me lead you 
from this terrible spot. Come away, poor child!” 

“ Be silent, sir! 1 need no pity — I ask no protection or 
sympathy. If you loved my father, avenge his death; if 
you care for his last wishes, obey them by helping me to 
discover his murderer. Or, if you will not help me, if all 
mankind deserts me, 1 will avenge it alone. I will— I 
will! 1 swear it here, standing beside his bier, my hand 
upon his cold forehead, his blood before my eyes. Oh, my 


QUEEN TE]\[PEST. 


25 


father— my father! my love— my all— my life! Oh, father 
— father — father ! ” 

And nature suddenly overcoming the frozen humor of 
her mood, the child — for what was she more, in fact — sunk 
dovvn upon her knees, and then upon her face, on the floor 
beside her father^s bier, her whole frame rent and convulsed 
with the sobs of such a passion — such a tempest of grief 
as milder natures never know. At last Douglass raised 
her gently and firmly in his arms. 

‘‘ My poor child, this must not be,^’ said he, his own 
voice husky with emotion; and carrying her to the door of 
her own apartments, he left her with Topaz. 


CHAETER V. 

THE VALLEY OF DEATH. 

Having ascertained that Regina was in no immediate 
danger from the violence of Zier emotions, and that his 
presence was not for the moment needed at Esperanza, Mr. 
Douglass ordered his horse and returned to Havana, leav- 
ing a message for Miss Tempest to the effect that he would 
make all needed arrangements for the funeral on the ensu- 
ing day, and would return in time for it. Very early the 
next morning, however, he was awakened by Pedro,* who 
stood like a statue of ebony at his bedside, and tendered 
him a letter written upon black-edged paper, sealed with 
black wax, and bound with a black ribbon. 

“ From the queen. Mas" Douglass,"" said Pedro. 

“You had better call your mistress. Miss Tempest, in 
future, Pedro, at any rate Vhen you are off the planta- 
tion,"" said Douglass, untying the black ribbon, and break- 
ing the black seal, which bore for its device a crown with 
the initial R beneath. The note was as follows: 

“ Mr. Douglass need make no arrangements for Colonel 
Tempest"s funeral, as my servants can do everything, and 
Esperanza is not in the habit of asking help from outside. 
If Mr. Douglass wishes to be present at the funeral, he is 
informed that it will take place at midnight of this day, 
and as a guest the Queen of Esperanza will receive him, in 
spite of the reason she has to be indignant at him. But 
my father liked you, Regina/' 


26 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


Philip Douglass read this little note two or three times 
over, seeing in it, as in a mirror, the proud, loving, un- 
educated, yet regal nature of the writer. The mistakes in 
grammar made him smile, the haughty fling at himself 
made him laugh, but the last five words brought the tears 
to his eyes, for to him they held the bitter or])han cry, the 
clinging, in spite of all, to one whom her father had ever 
liked; and, as he folded the letter and carefully retied the 
black ribbon about it, Douglass was thinking: 

“Poor child! poor little girl! I must be very tender 
with her, and we shall yet be dear friends, if 1 can make 
it so.'^ 

Then directing Pedro to hand him his traveling letter- 
case, he wrote: 

“My dear Miss Tempest,— You have the best right 
to arrange the details of your father’s funeral, if you feel 
able to do so. Should you need any help, however, 1 trust 
'that you will call upon me at once. If I hear nothing 
further from you, I will be at Esperanza before midnight. 

“ Yours very sincerely, 

“Philip Douglass.” 

This missive dispatched, the young man rose, and after 
his bath and his breakfast, betook himself to the office of 
the notary, Jose Christoval,. to whose dwelling, in the 
suburb of Salud, Colonel Tempest was., proceeding when 
Douglass parted with, him, in the fullness of life, to meet 
him, a few hours later, within the shadow of death. 

Of the Signor Christoval, Philip learned that his late 
friend had carried out his determination of making a will, 
and that he had named Douglass its executor, guardian of 
his daughter and heiress, liegina, and administrator with 
unlimited powers over the estate. The will . itself Christo- 
val promised to bring to .Esperanza the following morning, 
to be opened and read in presence of the heiress, Mr. 
Douglass, and Dr. Lefevre. 

“ Why Doctor Lefevre?” inquired Philip, in a tone of 
annoyance. Don Christoval stroked his black, pointed 
beard and smiled ambiguously. 

“ Our late lamented friend was curiously involved in 
business matters with Doctor Lefevre,” said he. “And 
there are stipulations in this will which render it necessary 
that he should be present when it is read.” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


37 


“ Very well, then; at nine o^clock to-morrow morning/' 
said Philip, rising, “ The funeral is to be, by Miss Tem- 
pest's request, held at midnight, after to-day." 

“ Ah, yes! You will be there. Signor Douglass?" asked 
the notary, dubiously. 

“ Yes, 1 shall be there." 

“ And you will see that nothing is done that might draw 
the attention of the authorities? Miss Tempest is peculiar, 
and having always governed herself purely by her own de- 
vices, sometimes goes a little out of the ordinary way. She 
was nursed by a very strange old negress, called Mome, 
and I have heard it said that she sometimes amused herself 
with a little sorcery, or fetish worship. At any rate, 
signor, I am glad you will be at the funeral." 

“ I shall be there. Signor Christoval," replied Philip, 
gravely; and, as he rode away from the notary's house, he 
found himself pondering his last words, in a very uncom- 
fortable manner. 

‘ “ A little sorcery — fetish worship — negro fashions, and 
heathen rites," murmured he, as Moro paced slowly 
through the narrow road, between the orange gardens, 
whose trees dropped bridal blossoms upon the young man's 
head, while their subtile perfume stole almost unconsciously 
upon his senses, and made a new joy of every breath. Oh, 
no, my little queen! I can not allow anything of this sort. 
No, no." 

It was, therefore, with as much of anxiety as of sympathy, 
or any other feeling, that the young guardian of Colonel 
Tempest's eccentric heiress presented himself at Esperanza, 
soon after nightfall, and entered the house, wondering that 
he did so alive, for, although as brave a man as ever lived, 
Douglass had ridden over the lonely mountain road, with 
his life in his hand, expecting a pistol-ball from behind 
every tree or rock, an assassin at every dark turn of the 
path. Dr. Lefevre had not forgotten him, he was sure, 
nor would scruple to put him out of the way at any mo- 
ment when his death would further the wily Frenchman's 
plans. 

At the great door stood Juan, dressed in the deepest 
mourning. Bowing profoundly, but without speaking, he 
escorted the guest to a chamber draped with black cloth, 
and the furniture, mirror, and even the floor was covered 


28 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


with the same mournful color. A solitary candle sufficed 
to make the darkness visible, and nothing more. 

“ The queen says Mr. Douglass will please to wait here 
until the procession starts at twelve, precisely,^^ said Juan, 
in a lugubrious tone. 

“ Four hours! No, Juan; if you will quietly show me 
to a room not put in mourning, 1 will lie down and have a 
little rest, as 1 have not got much lately. You need not 
disturb Miss Tempest on my account. 

Juan suffered a decorous smile to replace the gloom of 
his countenance, and slipping Mr. Douglass’s present into 
his pocket, he said, in a much more cheerful tone: 

“ Certainly, sir — certainly! and there’s no circumvent- 
ing the suspicion, sir, that so much black cloth ain’t con- 
ducive; not at all conducive, Mr. Douglass.” 

“ Not at all, Juan,” replied the guest, gravely. “ And 
when did you learn to speak English so well, Juan?” 

“ Why, sir, 1 was at school with master in England, and 
I learned most as much as he did; and then he’s always liked 
to have English spoken in the house, and all the servants 
had to learn to speak it, and so I taught them, mostly. A 
good many of our people talk English, sir.” 

“ So I have noticed; but none of them talk it like you, 
Juan. Ah! this is a more cheerful room, decidedly. 
There, now, you may go; and call me in plenty of time 
for the ceremony, or as soon as I can be of use to -Miss 
Tempest in any manner. ” 

“Yes, sir;.! will, sure,” replied Juan, with a smile of 
beaming satisfaction at the compliment to his English; 
and he softly withdrew, while Douglass stretched himself 
upon the couch, and fell into the deep slumber of exhaus- 
tion. 

At a few moments before twelve the valet returned, and 
Douglass refreshed, not only by sleep, but by the tiny glass 
of Maraschino and the biscuit which Juan presented, rose 
and followed him to the main hall. 

Here, upon an open bier, lay the body of Colonel Tem- 
pest, shrouded in ample white draperies, and looking like 
the marble statue of a Roman emperor, or some world-re- 
nowned captain. At either side of the bier stood four stal- 
wart slaves, black as ebony, and dressed in short white 
tunics which left exposed the throat, arms, and legs below 
the knee, in all their knotty, brawny proportions. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


29 


As Douglass appeared, a great clock in the hall struck 
twelve, and, at the sound, the eight negroes raised the 
bier, without a visible effort, and, preceded by an old man 
carrying a reversed and extinguished torch, they set forth. 

As they did so the door of the dining-room was thrown 
open, and Kegina appeared, her face still more colorless 
than its wont, her hair unbound and flowing loosely below 
her waist, her garments of the severest make, and abso- 
lutely white. Behind her walked the women of the house- 
hold, dressed in deep black, with the exception of Topaz, 
who wore white, like her mistress. As this sad procession 
appeared, Douglass stepped forward, and, bowing pro- 
foundly, offered his arm to Eegina, who refused it by a 
slight motion of the hand, and pressed on, attended only 
by her women. 

Douglass, not allowing himself to feel piqued, followed, 
and saw that Regina placed herself next to the bier, and 
that close behind her was led Colonel Tempest's splendid 
black charger, the Cid. Next came the bedy-guard of 
women, and behind them Douglass. A crowd of negroes 
closed the rear, and flanked the sides of the procession, all 
dressed in white, and all carrying torches, whose red and 
smoky glare, striking upward upon the dark faces and 
white draperies, gave a peculiarly wild and barbaric effect 
to the scene. 

The burial-place of Esperanza was in a deep and lovely 
valley, separated from the grounds about the house by an 
abrupt ridge, covered with magnolias, roses and the lux- 
uriant vegetation of a tropical soil. Over this ridge wound 
a narrow path, and Douglass, pausing at its crest,.. watched 
with admiration the effect of the hundreds of torches, the 
flashing white garments, and the gleaming black skins of 
the negroes, as they wound down the declivity, and paused 
beside an open grave at the head of the valley. 

Here the bier was set down, and Regina, advancing 
alone, stooped over the body of her father, and seemed to 
be making her last farewell to the beloved face and form. 
Douglass, uncertain what course to adopt, and unwilling 
to seem to intrude upon her sacred grief, remained in the 
background, and the negroes struck up a wild and mourn- 
ful chant, waving their torches above their heads, gesticu- 
lating, rending their clothes, and casting dirt upon their 
heads. Regina, kneeling besido the bier, seemed deaf and 


30 


QUEEN- TEMPEST. 


blind to all but the sad object before her, and Douglass, in 
the confusion, stole a little nearer to her side. 

As he did so the young girl rose to her feet, and turn- 
ing to the eight gigantic bearers, she said, in a clear voice: 

“ Bring out the murderer. 

The eight men bowed their heads, and passing out of the 
valley at the side opposite where they had entered, disap- 
peared for a few moments, then returned, leading in their 
midst, a figure so disheveled, haggard, wild and furious of 
aspect, that Douglass with difficulty recognized Dr. Lefevre, 
his hands fettered, his ankles shackled, and a rope knotted 
about his neck. 

At a sign from Regina, this wretched figure was led for- 
ward, close to her own position beside the bier. Douglass, 
alarmed, yet hesitating to interfere, stepped close to 
Regina’s side; and the negroes, shrinking away, these 
three — the only representatives of the governing, and, in 
the eye of the law, the responsible class — remained alone, 
except for the’' murdered man upon his bier, whose white, 
stony face, upturned to the flaming light of the torches, 
seemed dumbly demanding justice and vengeance. Regina 
was the first to speak. 

“ Felicien Lefevre,” said she, slowly and solemnly, “ be- 
fore you lies your benefactor, your patron, your master — 
foully slain, murdered, without mercy or reason. Do you 
know who is his murderer?” 

“ 1 refuse to submit to the questioning of a half-crazed 
girl — 1, a man old enough to be her father. I demand my 
liberty, and the rights of a freeman. Mr. Douglass, 1 ap- 
peal to you.” 

“ Appeal to no one but to me,^’ interposed Regina, in 
the same unimpassioned tone. “ I am the only authority 
here, and a hundred slaves stand ready to do my bidding, 
even though it be to your death. "Now, answer me, do you 
know my father’s murderer?” 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE ORDEAL OF BLOOD. 

“Who is my father’s murderer?” demanded Queen 
Tempest, in a voice whose icy and implacable tones sug- 
gested that with tbe position of examiner she combined 
that of judge, with power of life and death. 


QUEEJT TEMPEST. 


31 


The wretched man whom she addressed raised his hag- 
gard face, looked at her, then at Douglass, and finally 
suffered his glaring eyes to rest, with something like ap- 
peal, upon the ebony faces of the guard surrounding him. 
He might as well have looked for pity to the ax of the 

f uillotine. These eight men, either one of them twice the 
'rench man’s match in physical strength, were slaves, 
knowing no law, no authority, no will, beyond the com- 
mands of their owner, and that owner was now Kegina, 
whose mimic title of Queen of Esperanza seemed now in a 
way of asserting itself with terrible reality. 

All this, and more. Dr. Lefevre saw and comprehended 
in that one long look of baffled rage and deadly terror; and 
when he spoke his voice had exchanged its tone of defiance 
for one of sullen submission. 

“ How should 1 know your father’s murderer. Miss 
Tempest?” 

“ 1 am queen here, man,’' haughtily interposed Eegina, 
and her prisoner amended his sentence. . 

“ I know nothing of the murderer, your majesty.” 

“ You know nothing of him? You affirm that upon 
your honor as a gentleman?” 

“ I affirm it upon my honor as a gentleman.” 

“ Bah! what is your honor? And how m,uch of a gen- 
tleman are you? You swear it before God and the body 
of my father?” 

“I swear it.” 

“ And I believe your oath as little as 1 do your word. 
I will judge you by the ordeal of blood! and upon its de- 
cision hangs your wretched life! Advance, Felicien 
Lefevre, and lay your right hand upon my father’s heart, 
over the wound through which his life-blood oozed; and so 
holding it, repeat your declaration of innocence. If the 
dead body fails to accuse you, you are free; but if one drop 
of blood starts from the wound beneath your touch, your 
own heart’s blood shall moisten the earth we are about to 
h6ap upon that noble breast, and my father shall look from 
his abode among the blessed at the everlasting torments 
with which God will punish you when I have placed you in 
His hands.” 

“Horrible! Miss Tempest, I protest!” began Douglass. 
But Regina, without appearing to listen to him, imperi- 
ously continued: 


32 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ Advance, Felicien Lefevre, and do as I have ordered!’^ 

“ I will not! You have no right! It is absurd — illegal! 
You shall not compel me to touch the body! and I repudi- 
ate the ordeal! I refuse to abide by it!'' 

“You have no choice," replied Queen Tempest, coldly. 
“ Manuel, Eicardo, lead him close to the bier, and place 
his right hand upon the wound." 

And with her own hands she drew away the shroud, and 
exposed the noble breast of the dead, marked in the center 
with a small, livid wound, from which the blood had been 
carefully cleansed. At this wound Regina pointed steadily 
and unshrinkingly; and the two giants whom she addressed, 
seizing their prisoner so closely and so swiftly that he had 
not the power of resistance, led him close to the bier, and 
forced down his hands, manacled as they were, upon the 
designated spot. As the living flesh came in contact with 
the dead, the miserable man shrunk back with a cry of 
horror, and writhed in the relentless grasp of his jailers as 
if he had touched red-hot iron. The cry of horror was 
echoed from the lips of the by-standers; and Manuel, the 
slave, slightly moving the manacled hands aside, silently 
pointed to a few drops of dark blood welling from the 
wound and trickling sluggishly across the marble-white 
skin of the corpse. 

“It is sufficient — it is his death-sentence!" groaned 
Regina, covering her face for an instant, then showing it 
with yet an added shade of stern and relentless determina- 
tion. “ Place him in the grave, Manuel and Ricardo! 
Nillo, advance!" 

The old man who had walked in front of the bier came 
forward, still carrying his black-draped box. Regina 
opened it and took out a pistol, its stock tied with crape. 
This she presented to the slave Manuel, who, by the aid of 
Ricardo, had now placed Dr. Lefevre in the grave, stand- 
ing upright, still struggling violently, and uttering hoarse, 
inarticulate cries of rage, terror and appeal. 

“ Take this pistol, Manuel, and shoot him through the 
heart as he shot your master and his!" said Queen Tem- 
pest; but before the weapon reached Manuel's hand, Philip 
Douglass seized it with quiet decision. 

“Miss Tempest," said he, “this can go no further. 
You have no power of life and death over this man, and 
fihonld you cause him to bo ehot^ you murder him as 


QUEEK TEltfPEST. 


33 


niably as your father was murdered. Perhaps you had no 
intention of proceeding to that extremity, but a loaded 
pistol is an unsafe menace, especially in the hands of a 
slave. If you have reason to suspect this man of your 
father’s murder, give him in custody — order your servants 
to take him to Havana, or allow me to take the com- 
mand-^” ' 

“ Mr. Douglass, your intention is, I dare say, good, but 
you are meddling with what does not concern you,” 
haughtily interposed Queen Tempest. “ 1 have judged 
this man by the Ordeal of Blood, and it has decided him 
guilty!” 

“ That ordeal is no ordeal. Miss Tempest! The struggle, 
the jar, as the ironed hands struck the wound, are sufficient 
explanation of the appearance of a few drops of blood. 
The proof is nothing — absolutely nothing — and you will 
pardon me for saying that 1 consider this ordeal and this 
struggle over your father’s corpse as only an added injury 
to his memory. Allow him to be buried with Christian 
rites of sepulture, and give over this man to the law, if, 
indeed, you have any grounds for suspicion other than 
this mummery.” 

“ Mr. Douglass, do you know that you are placing your- 
self in a very dangerous position?” asked Queen Tempest, 
in slow scorn. “ These men would think little of shooting 
you as well as that howling coward yonder; and, for that 
matter, I should think but little of ordering them to do 
so. 1 am mistress and queen at l^peranza, sir, and 1 
order you to deliver up that pistol and stand aside!” 

“I shall do neither. Miss Tempest!” said Douglass, in 
a low voice, and approaching so close to the aide of the 
angry girl, that his voice was inaudible to the others. 
“ This scene must end at once. Your father’s will gives 
me full authority over this estate and these people, and it 
also constitutes me your guardian for the next six years. 
1 am very, very sorry to seem harsh or unfeeling; but the 
time has come when I must assume this authority, unless 
you win spare me the pain of doing so. Will you?” 

“ Sir, I order you to deliver that pistol to me, and to 
remain silent and quiet until my orders are obeyed! That 
murderer will be shot where he stands within two minutes! 
It ia 1 who say it!'' 
a 


34 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


“ And I say that he shall not be! Lift that man out of 
the grave; boys, and guard him safely until further orders 

“ Seize that man and lead him to the calaboose! Lock 
him up and leave him for the night!’' ordered Kegina, 
stretching out her hand toward Douglass, and regarding 
him with eyes whose blue brightness shone out of her pale 
face wtih startling distinctness. 

Half a dozen of the slaves approached Douglass slowly 
and somewhat unwillingly. He turned toward them and 
raised the pistol, cocking it as he did so. 

“ Stand still, boys, and listen to me!" said he, hardly 
raising his voice above its usual tone, and holding the slaves 
in check more by the power of his looks than by the loaded 
pistol in his hand. “ By the will of your late master," 
said he, when his commands had been obeyed, " I am the 
manager of this property, with full power to sell the land, 
the house, or the servants, any day when 1 choose to do 
so. Your young mistress — whom 3 ^ou will in future ad- 
dress as Miss Tempest or Miss Regina, and never as ‘ the 
queen ' — is not yet of age to govern herself or her people, 
and is shortly to leave Cuba to be educated in the United 
States. Such was her father's desire, as you will soon be 
informed by Don Jose Christoval, the notary who drew up 
the will. You are therefore to obqy me, hereafter, in pref- 
erence to any other person whatever; and I now order you 
to remove Doctor Lefevre to the house, remove his fetters, 
and guard him securely in a comfortable room until you 
receive further orders." 

While Douglass thus spoke, Regina stood looking at him 
with astonishment, disdain and wrath, none the less ter- 
rible that it was proudly restrained. As he finished, she 
slowly asked: 

“ Have you quite done, Mr. Douglass?" 

“ Quite, Miss Tempest." 

“ Then see how much you have effected!" And turning 
to her- slaves. Queen Tempest raised her hand in a superb 
gesture of command, and in a clear, ringing voice ex- 
claimed : 

“ Men! You have heard the words of this person, this 
stranger, who tries to come between your mistress and 
yourselves, with his miserable talk of law, and wills, and 
notaries. Will you listen to him, will you obey him, or 
will you obey me— your queen, the Queen of Esperanza, 


QUEEIT TEMPEST, 


35 


the daughter of the kind master who lies murdered before 
3 'ou, and who left you and all that he posesssed to me — his 
daughter? Are you my servants, or his?’" 

She paused, and turned her brilliant eyes and white, 
proud face from point to point of the dense crowd sur- 
rounding her, and momentarily growing denser and denser, 
while from its depths rose the hoarse and sullen murmur 
which is the voice of an insurrection. The life of Philip 
Douglass hung upon a thread; his doom was in that mur- 
jnur, and none knew it better than himself. Already the 
surging crowd pressed upon him, already voices, rising 
above the rest, shouted: 

“We’re for the queen — our little queen! Down with 
the stranger! Kill him! kill him! kill him! and the other 
too! What do we know about the law? We’re for our 
queen; and when she says kill, we kill!” 

Douglass heard all this and more, and he felt that the 
crisis demanded measures from which as yet he had 
shrunk. liaising the pistol to a level with the eyes of the 
nearest negro, he cried out: 

“The first man who dares to touch me falls dead! 
This pistol carries six balls, and I will have a life for every 
one, if you force me to take them. I tell you, 1 am the 
master of Esperanza, and I will prove it to you. Unless 
you fall back from this grave instantly, and obey my other 
orders as fast as possible, I will have ten of you flogged 
more than half-way to death at sunrise to-morrow morn- 
ing, and will sell ten more to the hardest master on the 
island. If, on the other hand, you obey me quickly and 
willingly, 1 will have an extra ration of meat, rice and 
sugar served out to every hand on the place, and give a 
holiday to-morrow. Now, then, fall back there! fall back, 
1 say!” 

And, as the white man turned his flashing eyes, his de- 
termined face, and his terrible weapon to this side and to 
that, the crowd fell away before him like sheep before a 
lion; those nearest to him hastening to the rear, those in 
the rear slinking away, as they hoped, unseen, until the 
movement became a flight, the flight a panic; and in ten 
minutes not a black remained in the valley of death, ex- 
cept four of the bearers, whom Douglass ordered to remain, 
and the girl Topaz, who stood close behind her mistress, 
her yellow eyes glaring like those of an angry cat, as she 


36 QUEEK TEMPEST. 

fixed them upon the face of this man who dared to disobey, 
and force others to disobey, the Queen of Esperanza! 

When the last insurgent had disappeared, Douglass 
turned to Eegina. 

“ Shall 1 now give orders for finishing the burial?^^ 
asked he, with cold politeness. 

Regina, who had watched the flight of her slaves with 
eyes of angry scorn, turned as he spoke, and would have 
replied; but the passion of grief, mortification and disap- 
pointment was too much for her proud heart, and, with- 
out a word, she burst into a storm of tears and sobs; and, 
throwing herselt into Topaz’s arms, hid her face upon the 
girl’s bosom and wept without restraint. 


CHAPTER VII. 

A DARK STO^Y. 

“ See there, now, master!” exclaimed Topaz, reproach- 
fully, and all unconsciously bestowing upon Douglass, by 
her title of “ master,” the recognition for which he had 
been struggling. 

The young man did not reply; but his eyes — fixed uj^on 
that slender and rounded form and that regal head, 
bowed and convulsed with grief and shame of his own pro- 
curing — lost their steely glitter, his face softened and 
flushed, and, approaching close to Regina, he gently said: 

“ I am so sorry to have been obliged to hurt you, but 
you made it inevitable. Will you look once more at your 
father, and then leave us to place him in his grave?” 

Without reply by word or look, Regina turned from 
him, and throwing herself upon her knees beside her 
father’s body, kissed it convulsively again and again, mur- 
muring words of love and farewell, -perhaps of something 
more bitter, in the dead ears never deal to her before. 
Then rising, she placed her arm about Topaz’s shoulders, 
and, without glancing at Douglass, or, indeed, raising her 
drooped face, she left the valley. 

The young man looked after her for a moment, as if 
longing to follow, and then turned, with a sigh, to the 
negroes, who stood awaiting his orders with the utmost 
submission. 

Under his directions they now lowered the body into the 


QUEEJJ' TEMPEST. 


37 


grave, and stood patiently, unconcerned, while Douglass, 
with uncovered head, repeated a prayer over it. After 
this, the grave was filled and the earth heaped above it, in 
silence; but, as Douglass turned away, the slave Manuel 
spoke, with some hesitation: 

“ The queen said, master—” 

“ Your mistress said,” amended Douglass, sternly. 

“ Mistress said, master, that the Cid was to be shot upon 
old master's grave, and buried beside him.” 

“ She will not wish it now, I am ceijtain,” replied Doug- 
lass, briefly. “ Lead the Cid back to his stable; and kill 
nothing, man or beast, upon this grave, without my orders. 
Do you hear?” 

“ Y^es, master,'^ replied the men, submissively; and as 
Douglass paused upon the crest of the hill and looked back 
into the valley, he saw that every living thing had deserted 
it, leaving the grave of the murdered man to gleam, white 
and ghastly, in the moonlight which had replaced the red 
flare of the torches. 

“ Farewell, friend! And though your child may think 
me harsh and cruel, you know that I strive only for her 
good!” muttered Douglass, and reached the house just as 
the first faint flush over the eastern waters spoke of coming 
day. 

A few hours later arrived the Signor Christoval, having 
in charge Colonel Tempest's will. A message from Doug- 
lass to Regina, requesting her presence at the reading, was 
met by a decided refusal upon the ground of illness, and 
the young guardian, unwilling to begin a fresh contest, 
allowed the excuse to hold. Dr. Lefevre, as one of the 
parties interested in the will, was released from the custody 
in which Douglass had placed him, more by way of protec- 
tion than anything else, and appeared in the drawing-room, 
sullen, silent, but restored, both in dress and countenance, 
to his usual condition. A brief consultation with the 
notary had confirmed Douglass in his opinion that the 
Frenchman could not be held upon suspicion of Colonel 
Tempest's murder, as the verdict of the inquest held over 
his remains had not pointed toward any individual as his 
assassin, but confined itself to those comfortable generalities 
common to Spanish as well as English or American law. 

Dr. Lefevre, then, having taken his place as a free man 
'in the drawing-room, Don Jose Christoval proceeded to 


38 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


read the will, unopened until that moment. Its pronsions 
were in the main such as Douglass had expected, bequeath- 
ing the entire property to “ Regina, my daughter,^’ as the 
heiress was described, and naming Philip Douglass execu- 
tor of the will, and trustee of the immense inheritance de- 
volving upon the young girl, until she should be twenty- 
one years of age, or marry with the full consent and ap- 
proval of her guardian. Her residence for the next six 
years was to be the United States, unless otherwise decided 
by Douglass; and the testator most earnestly requested 
that it might, if possible, be fixed in the family of her 
guardian. 

So far, well. But at the end of all appeared this singu- 
lar bequest and proviso: 

“ To Felicien Lefevre, now resident at Esperanza, I 
leave the sum of fifty thousand dollars, in payment of all 
debts and obligations existing from me to him; or, should 
he prefer to accept one yearns revenue from the estate of 
Esperanza, he is free to remain there and manage the 
estate for that period — but no longer. And in this year of 
residence and authority, he is to complete all business rela- 
tions between himself and my property which may be left 
unfinished at my death; and is to make no subsequent de- 
mands upon my heirs or assigns for any further claims 
whatever.^' 

As Don Jose Christoval finished reading this ambiguous 
and unsatisfactory clause of the wijl, Douglass turned and 
looked for the first time toward the Frenchman, who, lean- 
ing a little forward, had fixed his eyes curiously upon 1 he 
face of the reader, while a light scarlet tinge mounted to 
his sallow cheeks, and a dangerous glitter lighted his sullen 
eyes. 

The notary, conscious of this gaze, and* himself not a 
little curious as to the meaning of the bequest, laid down 
the parchment, cleared his throat, settled his round, shell- 
mounted spectacles more firmly upon his hooked nose, 
and in so doing looked through his fingers at the French- 
man. 

"""Bon!’* ejaculated <Jie latter, in his own language. 
“Onr dear friend and patron has not forgotten me. I 
choose, without the need of reflection, the management 
and revenue of Esperanza for a year; and I promise within 
that time to conclude all the little business affairs to which - 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


39 


the good colonel so delicately alludes. Go on, my excel- 
lent Don Jose.^^ 

“ Be so good, Signor Dottore, as not to internet the 
reading,^' replied the notary, with dignity; and Dr. Lefevre 
smiled ironically as he twisted his well-waxed mustache. 

The reading over, and some business arrangements con- 
nected with the plantation adjusted, a lunch was served, 
directly after which the notary returned to town. 

Douglass lingered a little longer, hoping to see Regina, 
who remained obstinately secluded; but a little before sun- 
set he too departed. ^ 

A mile from the gates of Esperanza he was overtaken by 
Dr. Lefevre, who, reining in his horse beside Moro, ab- 
ruptly opened the conversation by saying: 

“ I suppose, Mr. Douglass, you think you are as likely 
to make friends with the devil as with me; but I fancy 
you mistake. 

“ Ah! And upon what grounds do you base our future 
friendship. Doctor Lefevre?’’ inquired Douglass, con- 
temptuously. 

“ Upon the broad ground of mutual interest, •Mr. Doug- 
lass— the strongest ground upon which a friendship can be 
based.” 

“ And how, sir, are our interests bound together?” in- 
quired Douglass in the same tone. 

“ By the fair hands of Miss Regina Tempest, so called.” 

“ So called. Doctor Lefevre?” 

“ That was my expression, Mr. Douglass.” 

“ Will you be so good as to explain it?” 

“ 1 intend to dp so, and my explanation can not be put 
in a very few words. Still, I think you will not find it too 
long, since it relates to your ward and her fortunes, and 
.may possibly affect your own views with regard to her.” 

“ 1 am ready to listen. Doctor Lefevre, to anything you 
have the right to tell me; but 1 hold that the secrets of a 
dead man are as saered as those of one lining, unless some 
sacred necessity drags them to the light.” 

“ Well said, Mr. Douglass; but in this case the sacred 
necessity has arrived. Before you carry Regina Tempest 
home to your mother, your sisters, if you have any, you 
should at least know her history — before you make her 
your wife you should know what blood you are about to 
transmit to your posterity. ” 


40 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ You make your own case, Doctor Lefevre. 1 have 
never spoken of asking Miss Tempest for my wife,^^ re- 
plied Douglass, coldly. 

The Frenchman answered him with a wave of the hand, 
a shrug of the shoulders, speaking more plainly than words 
could have done his conviction of the other's cautious du- 
plicity; but he only said: 

“ Very well, monsieur; very well. Shall 1 tell you my 
little story?" 

“ If you please, sir. " 

“ Eighteen years ago, monsieur, 1 was a gay young phy- 
sician in my native city of Paris; just through the 
schools, my diploma in my pocket, and hardly a sou to 
keep it company. In this low condition of finance, 1 was, 
'of course, glad to accept of any opening to advance my 
fortunes, and found it in the service of Colonel Tempest, 
then a gay young man, spending his money and time in a 
very delightful manner in the good city of Paris aforesaid. 

“ Under my advice and with my assistance, my new 
patron increased these pleasures and this expedition to 
the utmost; and, as our English friends would say, we 
‘ went the pace ' for awhile at a rate hardly equaled by 
Flying Childers himself. All things have an end, how- 
ever, and our sojourn in Paris came to a disastrous one. 
Satiated with common intrigues, and tired alike of les 
grandes dames and of the grisettes, my patron conceived 
the unholy idea of falling in love with a nun, and, best of 
all, with one belonging to a noble French house. He first 
saw her as a novice, then while she took the veil, and after- 
ward through the connivance of the portress of the con- 
vent. 

“You see, I mass my facts, for the whole story is a long 
one, and only the results are important to us to-day. 

“ One way and another, our friend and the nun met 
often — perhaps too often — until it became necessary, to 
avoid scandal, that she should make her escape from the 
convent. The old portress would not, however, connive 
at this; and becoming suspicious of how matters were 
going, threatened to betray everything unless the stolen 
interviews were at once discontinued. A crisis had arrived, 
and I was called upon to interpose. 1 did so. The por- 
tress drank something in her lemonade which put' her to 
sleep for the night. " 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 4l 

“ JDo you mean that you poisoned her?’^ demanded 
Douglass, in horror. 

“ J/a foi, no! I gave her a sleeping-draught which 
sent her to sleep in her lodge, while my friend and his 
friend undid the gate and escaped from the convent; that 
is all. 

“ Very well, what next?’^ 

“Next we all hid ourselves, making no effort to escape 
from the country until the pursuit should have time to 
cool for a little. The health of our fugitive nun also de- 
manded repose; and a quiet lodging was obtained, where 
she passed as Madame Lefevre, our colonel retaining his 
own rooms in the Rue Vaurien, and spending some portion 
of every day in them. - 

“ In process of time, Madame Lefevre became the 
mother of a little girl~our charming Regina. The mother 
soon recovered her health and spirits — the latter, in fact, to * 
rather an alarming extent; for she soon found means and 
disposition to resume the amusement of intriguing, and this 
time deceived her lover in favor of another man, as before 
she had deceived her spiritual spouse for him. Colonel 
Tempest discovered the affair, and there was a meeting in 
the Bois, an exchange of shots, a dead man upon the grass, 
and three living ones riding furiously back toward Paris. 

“That night Colonel Tempest, his daughter Regina, 
her nurse, and my unworthy self took a quiet leave of the 
charming city, and, after sundry adventures, arrived safely 
in Havana. 

“In this condensed story, monsieur, you have the in- 
formation I wished to give you, and will now proceed with 
your eyes open.^' 

“ And may 1 inquire. Doctor Lefevre, your proofs of 
this very singular story asked Douglass, coldly. 

“ My best proof is Colonel Tempest’s magnificent legacy, 
earned by complicity in this affair,” replied Lefevre, with 
diabolical coolness. “ After this comes the well-known 
fact that Colonel Tempest was never married, and that, 
upon his return from France, he brought this child with 
him; after this, the remorse and anxiety was always shown 
in his treatment of his daughter, and the peculiar seclusion 
and magnificence in which he has bred her; and, finally, 

Mr. Douglass, my word as a gentleman. ” 

So saying. Dr. Lefevre politely touched his hat and rode 


42 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


away, leaving Douglass a prey to conflicting and disagree- 
able ideas and feelings. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

AUNTY MOME, THE SORCERi^SS. 

Several weeks had elapsed since the death of Colonel 
Tempest, and the preparations for Regina’s removal to her 
new home were nearly completed. If she did not approve, 
the young girl at least acquiesced in this arrangement, with 
a docility entirely new in her character, and as delightful 
as it was novel to those who had to deal with her. 

Her interviews with Douglass, who came and went per- 
petually between Esperanza and Havana, were sometimes 
stormy, sometimes pathetic, occasionally ludicrous, but 
always peculiar; and yet the young man felt that in each 
one he gained an added influence, a deeper hold upon the 
wild young nature before whom life and the world lay so 
untried and unappreciated. 

The last evening before the departure had arrived, and 
Topaz, wearied with her exertions in packing and other 
preparations, stole out of the house and stood in the broad 
moonlight, upon the lawn, her strange face upturned, and 
her dilated eyes drinking in the cool beauty of the skies, 
with the thirsty eagerness of a tropical nature. The day 
had been very warm, and the night, so fresh and soothing, 
descended like a blessing upon the head of the girl as she 
stood thus wooing its caresses, and silently taking her leave 
of all that she had known and loved in her short and 
secluded life. As she thus stood, a timid hand pulled at 
her skirts, and, looking down, she found a little negro boy 
standing beside her, patient and silent. 

“ Perez! What do you want, child?” asked she, gently. 

“ Aunty Home sent me to tell you to come to her this 
night, if it was the hour before sunrise,” said the boy, in 
his lisping Spanish. 

“ I will go right down there now. Miss Regina has gone 
to bed so as to have a long night, and— I will go, Perez; you 
need not wait.” 

- “ Yes, Senorita Topaz,” murmured the boy, and disap- 
peared in the shadow of the magnolia-trees, as if his black- 
ness had melted into theirs. Topaz slowly and musingly 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


43 


turned, and crossing the lawn and the garden, struck into 
a little winding path which led her through the dense 
grove separating the negro village from the homestead 
buildings of Esperanza. Before reaching this village, how- 
ever, she turned aside, crossed a brook, another piece of 
woods, and an open interval at the foot of a high hill. 
Nestling against this hill was the cabin of • Aunty Home, 
the old negress who had nursed Regina through her earliest 
years, and who now lived, without labor, upon a little pen- 
sion assigned her by Colonel Tempest, and confirmed by 
his heiress. 

The door of the hut stood open, with the moonlight 
streaming in, and Topaz, peering somewliat doubtfully in, 
saw a pair of bright eyes glittering at the further extrem- 
ity of the place, from among the heap of dried cane leaves 
serving as bed to the occupant of the hut. 

“ Aunty Home, is that you?^^ asked the girl, in a sub- 
dued tone. 

“ Yes, child, I’m here,” replied a voice, and a rustjing 
among the cane leaves told that some one was moving; but 
the strange bright eyes, upon which those of Topaz were 
fixed, did not move or waver, although she fancied that 
they grew momentarily brighter and more glittering. 

“1 am here, child,” repeated the voice, and an old 
woman, light mulatto in color, and bent, wrinkled, and 
ugly to an incredible degree, came crouching forward to 
the door of the hut. But still the bright eyes never wav- 
ered or changed, except to grow brighter with a strange, 
flashing brilliancy, horrible yet beautiful to look upon, and 
so engrossing in their beauty and their power, that Topaz 
forgot to answer the old woman, and, bending forward, 
fixed her own eyes yet more earnestly upon them. 

“ Take care, giri! You are looking at Charno; and if 
he once gets your eyes — Down, Charno! back to your 
hole, sir! And, Topaz, look at the moon, at the trees, the 
water, anything but in his eyes, for that is death !”^ 

A light rustling among the leaves accompanied her 
words, and when it was over Mome spoke again: 

“ There, he is gone, and I will fasten him into his bur- 
row, for he is full of malice and venom to-night, and' it is 
well for you that it should be so. Come in and sit down, 
my child.” 

Topaz obeyed, and seated herself, silently. Just within 


44 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


the door. Aunty Home went about the hut making sun- 
dry preparations, and murmuring softly to herself in her 
soft, sibilant Spanish, which language she used throughout 
the interview, as did Topaz, although both ordinarily used 
the English. 

“ Why did you send for me, aunty?’ ^ asked the girl at 
length. 

“ To make you a present and to tell you a secret, dear. 
You are going away to-morrow?” 

“ Yes; Miss Regina is ready at last.” 

“ You do not say queen any more?” 

“ No; master will not have it.” 

“ You call the American master?” 

^ “He is master, whatever we call him. Miss Regina 
flies into a passion at whatever he orders, and then she 
does it. ” 

“Ah! yes, yes; 1 see. And the doctor?” 

“ He keeps out of the way until we are gone, and stays 
in Havana. He will live at Esperanza, and be master for 
one whole year. ” 

“ Oh, the poor servants! how will they live through it?” 
groaned Aunty Mome, rocking herself backward and for- 
ward as she sat upon the earthen floor. 

“ Perhaps they won’t; and perhaps it’ll be he that won’t 
live through it,” replied Topaz, sullenly. “ I’d kill him 
myself if I was going to stay here.” 

“ Has he meddled with you again since I spoke to mas- 
ter?” asked old Mome, angrily. 

“ Yes; the day master died. But it’s no matter now, 
and 1 don’t want to talk about him. ” 

“We won’t, then. Topaz, do you know who was your 
mother?” 

“ No; I don’t remember her, you know. She died when 
I was born.” 

“No, child; she died three years after. She died here, 
upon this floor, in these arms. Topaz, she was my child.” 

“ Yours, aunty? Then you are my grandmother! Why 
did I never know it?” asked Topaz, eagerly. 

“Because master would not have it,” replied the old 
woman, in a dreary tone. “ Her name was Pepita; and 
she was as beautiful as the morning. Her father was my 
master, and we lived near San Juan de los Remedies, upon 
a great sugar estate like this. Master died, and Colonel 


. QUEEN TEMPEST. 


45 


Tempest bought me and the child; she was thirteen then, 
and when you were born she was 'just fifte’en. How he 
loved her, at first, and had them beautiful rooms made for 
her where Miss Kegina lives now! Then you were born, 
and pretty soon master went away to Paris, and was gone 
more than two years. Pepita was queen then, and every- 
thing was done as she said. I did not call her my daugh- 
ter, nor go much to the great house, because I would nol 
shame her or her child, for I thought when master came 
home he would make them free, and perhaps carry my 
beautiful Pepita to Hayti, or even to France, and marry 
her. So I lived here in my lonely hut, and stole up to see 
my children in the evening, or even in the wght, when 
they slept, the pretty baby on her lovely mother’s bosom. 

“ But one day all this ended, for master came home and 
brought another baby — Miss Regina she was called even 
then — and her nurse and the doctor. The first day that 
they were here, 1 saw that my poor Pepita’s day was over; 
master was gloomy and silent, and cared for nothing but 
his child — his loliite child — and the doctor, who was with 
him all the time, hatching the devil’s own mischief, and 
leading master into it. At last, one day — one night, rather 
— they were gambling, as usual, and when that fiend had 
won all the gold master had about him, he tempted him on 
to play for — oh, child! for your mother — the mother of his 
own daughter — he could do that! The devil won, and they 
played no more that night. Two hours later, as I lay 
asleep there in that corner, I heard a little scratching 
noise, and a sort of sobbing and moaning upon the ground 
outside my door. I opened it, and there was my child — 
my beautiful, my darling, my Pepita— sighing out her life 
at my feet, and the ground beneath all soaked with her 
blood. I raised her and drew her into the cabin, and, as 
she lay there upon the floor, I held her dear head upon my 
lap, and wiped the death-damp from her forehead. 

“ She told me the story with her last gasping breath. 
She had stabbed herself, and so escaped him. Then, when 
he shrunk from her in horror, she rushed by him and 
made her way to me— poor, wounded, dying child— came 
home to her poor old mammy to die. When the sun rose 
I closed her eyes and laid her softly down, washed her life- 
blood from my hands, and went to call master. He came, 
thinking she wanted to ask his pardon, and beg for his 


46 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


love again. He came, and found her cold and dead. 
Then, over her corpse, I told him why and how she had 
died; and I said words to him such as never slave spoke to 
master before and lived. But his noble heart was too high 
for low revenge, and he bore all my reproaches very meek- 
ly; and he kissed her cold, cold lips, and he promised her, 
lying dead there at his feet, that her child should be reared 
with his own, and never know want or suffering. Then 
he begged me that I would come to the great house and 
care for the two poor motherless babes; and, after awhile, 
I went. And so now you know. Topaz, why 1 hate that 
man so, and why I had rather see you dead beside my 
Pepita tl^n to have you listen to a word from his lips. 

“ Do not fear, mother; I am safe while I carry this.^^ 
And from the bosom of her dress Topaz half drew one of 
the needle-pointed stilettos with which so many a quarrel 
has been adjusted, not only in Spain, but in her faithful 
child, Cuba.^^ 

“You carry fhat?^^ asked Home, with satisfaction. 
“Wait, and I will give you something even better — a 
friend as sure and far more secret. 

So saying, she pulled away the leaves with which she had 
stopped Charno’s hole, and uttered a low, peculiar whistle. 
The great snake glided silently out, and, as the old woman 
extended her arm, coiled himself rapidly about it. Then 
seizing him in both hands. Home, with fierce cries, pressed 
and pinched him about the throat and head with cruel vio- 
lence, until, as he furiously opened his jaws, turning them 
from side to side, seeking a prey, she held a bit of cane 
toward him, and suffered him to bite it, renewing her tort- 
ures as he relaxed in the fury of his attack, until the 
creature’s venom and strength were alike exhausted, and 
he hung flaccid and lifeless from her hands. Tossing him 
upon the floor beside his hole, old Mome turned to Topaz. 

“ Here is your friend, child,” said she; “ but it must 
be prepared. To-morrow, before you go, I will be with 
you, and bring my parting present. Go now, for 1 have 
work to do before I sleep.” 

“ And 1 too. Good-night,” murmured the girl, and, 
shivering with terror, she darted out of the cabin and ran 
swiftly toward home, her dark shadow pursuing her like 
an avenging demon through all the moonlit way. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


47 


CHAPTER IX. 

A STOEMY BEGINNING. 

It was a brilliant day in the last part of October when 
Philip Douglass handed his charge from the cars at the 
station of a quiet country town upon the seaboard of Massa- 
chusetts. 

“ This is Elmslee, Regina;^^ said he, cheerfully, “ and 
in a few moments we shall be at home. Here is Lou, 
now.’’ 

And with his disengaged hand Philip grasped that of a 
young girl who came flying toward him with exuberant ex- 
pressions of delight. 

While brother and sister exchanged greetings, Regina 
looked, with some curiosity and a little disapproval, at this 
first specimen presented to her of New England girlhood. 
She saw a lithe, graceful figure of middle height — not too 
slender in the waist, not too diminutive in hands and feet 
— bearing the stamp, not only of health, but strength and 
vigor, and the habit of exercise in the open air. She saw 
a bright, beautiful face; the cheeks and lips glowing with 
the purest color; the gray eyes sparkling with animation; 
the warm chestnut hair crimped, and flowing loosely upon 
the shoulders from beneath a little velvet cap decorated 
with a scarlet wing. She hoard a gay, ringing voice — not, 
perhaps, so elegantly modulated as it might be, certainly 
not as soft and languid as her own, but full of' life and 
youth, especially when it broke into a merry laugh, which 
displayed two rows of little milk-white teeth, sound and 
strong as a squirrel’s. 

“ She will tire me to death,” thought Regina; and just 
then Philip turned toward her. 

“ Regina, this is the little sister of whom 1 told you. 1 
hope you two will become the warmest friends, and, in 
time, quite like sisters, for both of you need corapanion- 
shiii.” 

“lam very glad to see you. Miss Tempest, and I do 
really hope you will find yourself happy with us,” said 
Louisa, frankly, extending her hand, in which Regina 
placed her own with a gracious but silent gesture “ And 


48 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

now, Phil, the ponies are waiting, and will you come along? 
Tom can come down for the traps, and — that man. 

“That man is Juan — a little gift from Kegina hereto 
myself, and from myself to himself. I propose to offer 
him to my mother as house-servant, if they can agree as to 
wages, and so forth; but he is his own master now. The 
girl is Topaz, Miss Tempest^s maid.^^ 

“ Well, we can take her in the pony-wagon, and Juan 
— if that’s the way to say it; we called it ‘ Jewan ’ when 
we read it in your letter — can stay by the trunks until Tom 
comes.” 

So chattering in her breezy voice, Louisa led the way 
through the station to the platform, beside which stood a 
gay little pony- carriage, with seats for four persons, drawn 
by a pair of tiny coal-black ponies, their silver-mounted 
harness gay with scarlet ribbons. 

“ Miss Tempest, allow me to present Pet and Simy, two 
valued members of our family,” said Louisa, waving her 
gauntleted hand toward the ponies, who champed their bits 
and tossed their heads as if in acknowledgment. “ They 
are my especial property and principal amusement. After 
we have become cronies, as Phil proposes, I shall let you 
drive them sometimes, as the greatest possible proof of my 
regard. ” 

“ Thanks; 1 do not drive at all,” replied Regina, some- 
what coldly; for the suggestion of being permitted instead 
of besought to accept or make use or anything, was as 
novel as it was repugnant. 

Louisa glanced at her a little in surprise, but good- 
naturedly replied : 

“ Oh, well, you will soon learny if you wish; and if not, 
some of us are always going out, and can take you. Will 
you sit in front with me, or behind with your maid?” 

“I will sit behind, as Mr. Douglass would not wish to 
sit with Topaz, of course; and 1 am quite accustomed to <» 
have her near me. ” 

“ Dear me, Phil would never object. He is too much 
of a gentleman to be such a spob as that would make him 
out,” said Phil’s sister, a little contemptuously. “ Well, 
jump in.” 

“ 1 suppose you choose to drive,” remarked Philip, seat- 
ing himself beside his sister, after putting Regina and 
Topaz into the back seat. 


QUEEl^ TEMPEST. 


49 


“ Of course I do. I’m queen of this establishment, any 
way;” and Louisa, with a flick of the whip and a word of 
encouragement, sent the ponies flying along the road at a 
tremendous rate. Half a mile from the station, she skill- 
fully turned into an open gate between two drooping elms, 
and whirled up an avenue of the same trees. 

“How like Jehu you drive, Lou!” exclaimed her 
brother, half laughing, and looking back at Kegina’s 
white face. 

“ Oh, I forgot to tell you that Clara is here. Mamma 
sent for her to stay a week, and meet you. I forgot to tell 
you. Here we are.” 

And Louisa reined up her little steeds in front of a high 
flight of granite steps leading to the open door of a solid, 
old-fashioned country-house, combining the strength and 
generosity of the olden style of building with the comfort 
and convenience of to-day. At this open door stood a 
handsome, elderly lady, dressed in black silk, with a lace 
cap shading but not concealing the still abundant hair, 
dark and silky as that of her son Philip, to whom she now 
cried : 

“ Welcome home, my dear boy! I am so glad to see you 
once more!” 

“ And I you, mother,” replied the young man, bound- 
ing up the steps to salute his mother, then returning for 
Eegina, whom he presented as, “ My ward and your young 
friend. Miss Eegina Tempest.” 

“ You ai’e very welcome, my dear,” said the lady, light- 
ly kissing the cheek which Queen Tempest rather withdrew 
than offered; but Mrs. Douglass, never suspecting that she 
had taken a liberty with the majesty in whom she only saw 
a young and friendless girl, retained the hand she had 
taken, and leading’Eegina toward an open door, remarked, 
over her shoulder, to Philip, who followed, with an amused 
smile upon his face: 

“ Clara is here in the parlor, Philip. 1 thought it would 
be a pleasant surprise for you to find her here.” 

“ Thank you, mother,” replied the young man; and his 
eyes, still fixed upon the haughty face of his ward, caught 
the warning blue flash from beneath her drooping lids, 
which told of rising wrath. 

“ What is it now?” thought he; but in the next instant 


50 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


they wore in the drawing-room, and a lady, sitting upon a 
sofa drawn close to the fire, slowly rose to meet them. 

“ Clara!^’ exclaimed Philip Douglass; and, hastening 
forward, he took the two hands of his betrothed and kissed 
her upon her lips. Then he turned to present Regina, 
who acknowledged the ceremony by a slight and intensely 
haughty bow, not noticing the hand extended by Miss 
Vere, who, with a slight flush rising to her cheek, reseated 
herself, and resumed the tatting upon which she had been 
engaged. Regina accepting the arm-chair offered her by 
Mrs. Douglass, and hardly replying to that lady’s hospi- 
table questions and offers, fixed her eyes, now wide open 
and. blue as a sunny sea, upon this woman whom Philip 
Douglass loved, and whom he had sometimes quoted to her 
as a model of delicate propriety and principle. Without 
the slightest disguise she scrutinized, from head to foot, 
the tall, slight 'figure — more slight than graceful, perhaps; 
the long, white neck; the slender hands, only needing 
more flesh to become very beautiful; the small head, 
drooping a little forwai d; the bands of flaxen hair, dressed 
in the most elaborate fashion of the day; the cold, pale- 
blue eyes, regular features, thin-lipped mouth, and Psyche- 
shaped face, whose only undeniable beauty was a complex- 
ion white as alabaster, and tinted with the peculiar 
carnation color so rare in real life, so exquisite in the 
flower or in the curve of a sea-shell. 

“ She is like an icicle, and I hate her!” said Regina to 
herself; and at the same moment, Clara Vere, bending 
over her tatting, murmured to her lover: 

“ Does that little South Sea Islander stare at everybody 
and everything as she does at me?” 

“You can not wonder that she likes to look at you,” 
replied Philip, in the same tone. 

“ I don’t know much about the characteristics of that 
sort of savage, but it strikes me she don’t look as if she did 
like td look at me, particularly,” said Clara, nonchalantly. 

And Philip, raising his eyes toward Regina, caught the 
look of aversion and contempt she was at no pains to con- 
ceal. His color rose a little, and rising, he went toward 
her. 

“ Would you like to go upstairs, Regina?” asked he. 
“We dine at six, and you will have time to rest for a 
little.” 


QUEl^N TEMPEST. 51 

“ I wish to see you alone, immediately,'^ replied Regina, 
audibly; and, rising, she walked toward the door. 

Philip shot a glance of annoyance toward Clara, who, 
with raised eyebrows and a supercilious smile upon her 
thin lips, glanced after the retreating form of the little 
queen, then up at her lover, who, frowning slightly, ex- 
cused himself with a bow, and followed his ward, whom he 
found awaiting him in the hall. 

“ Step into the library, Regina, if you please," said he, 
opening the door of a little room behind the drawing- 
room. “ Now, what is it?" 

“ I can not stay here, and I will not. I wish to return 
immediately home, and 1 demand to be taken there." 

“ Home? To Cuba do you mean?" 

“Yes; to Esperanza." 

“ Impossible! What has happened, Regina? Who has 
offended you? What displeased you?" 

“ It is my pleasure to return to my own home. Is that 
so very remarkable? Esperanza is my home, I believe." 

“ Certainly; but it will be several years before you are 
of age to control your own motions, or to live alone," re- 
plied Philip, a little sternly; for this sudden caprice of 
Queen Tempest’s was certainly not flattering to himself, or 
the home to which he had introduced her. But a moment’s 
remembrance of the peculiar circumstances which had gone 
to form his ward’s character softened him again, and he 
asked, in a half-jesting tone: 

• “ But what is the matter? What about us or our sur- 

roundings do you find so disagreeable that you wish to run 
away before you are fairly here?" 

“ It ought to be sufficient that I do not wish to remain 
here," replied Regina, haughtily. “ My father never in- 
tended to place me under the arbitrary orders of a tyrant, 
or to expose me to contact with those who insult me and 
ridicule me. " 

“ Regina! Do you call me a tyrant?" 

“ Yes, if you attempt to keep me here." 

“ But, child — " 

“ Excuse me, Mr. Douglass — I am no child." 

“ Then prove yourself a reasonable woman by telling me 
the meaning of this strange mood of yours. Who has in- 
sulted or ridiculed you?" 

“ That person in there." 


52 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ My mother, my sister, or Miss V ’ asked Philip, 
coldly. But Queen Tempest's blood was up, and, without 
lowering her haughty eyes before his, she replied : 

“ The young woman who sat beside you on the sofa. I 
didn't charge myself with her name. " 

“ That young~ woman is Miss Clara Vere, my betrothed 
wife; and I shall be obliged to insist upon your mentioning 
her and treating her with respect, while you are under my 
charge, whatever insane dislike you may privately adopt 
toward her. What do you mean by saying she insulted 
you just now? I noticed that you insulted her by refusing 
to take her hand; but 1 attributed that— as, doubtless, she 
herself did — to ignorance of the usages of society. Is that 
the insult to which you refer?" 

“ I heard her call me a South Sea Islander. I heard her 
sneer at me openly to you, and you did not check her, or 
resent it, or notice it in the least; and you are as bad as 
she is; and I hate and detest you both, and I will kill my- 
self sooner than remain under the roof with her, or under 
your control. Yes, Mr. Philip Douglass, you are a traitor 
to the care you promised hiy father, and the friendship you 
offered me; and I have no longer faith in you, or care for 
you, or desire to ever see you again. And so long as you 
compel me to remain in this hateful house, I will shelter 
myself from insult in my own room, whither I now de- 
mand to be shown." 

“And where, I am compelled to request, you will re- 
main until you have seen the impropriety of the remarks 
you have just made," said Philip, severely; and, ringing 
the bell, he desired the servant to show Miss Tempest to 
her room, and summon her maid to attend her there. 


CHAPTER X. 

TOPAZ MAKES A PROMISE. 

Left alone, Philip Douglass paced the room several mo- 
ments in deep reflection upon the course proper for him to 
pursue with regard to his self-willed and somewhat unrea- 
sonable ward; for, while he desired to do ample justice to 
her feelings, and even to treat her with the utmost indul- 
gence, he felt that to yield his just authority and position 
in this first instance, was to yield it entirely. Nor was he 


QUEEK TEA! PEST. 


53 


insensible to the awkwardness of his situation, as a young 
man obliged to act the part of mentor to a beautiful young 
girl, and to arbitrate between her and the woman whom he 
loved, but with whom he hardly felt himself acquainted — 
for the engagement had been somewhat suddenly entered 
into the very evening before he set sail for Cuba, and was 
the result of but a brief previous acquaintance. 

To tell the truth, Mr. Douglass had, contrary to all his 
own theories, fallen in love first, and left the becoming ac- 
quainted .with the object of his passion imtil afterward; and 
it was cousec^uently with some considerable hesitation that 
he sought an opportunity, soon after his return to the 
drawing-room, to speak privately with his betrothed upon 
the subject of Queen Tempest. Then he said: 

“ Clara, I want to tell you about that poor little girl. 
Do you know she heard you just now, and feels deeply 
hurt?’^ 

“ Heard me?” repeated Miss Vere, raising her cold blue 
eyes to her lover’s face. 

“ Yes; when you called her a South Sea Islander.” 

“Dhl and is she not?” 

“ Clara, you know very well that she is from Cuba.” 

“ Ah, yes; and that "is not in the Southern Ocean. 
Would she have liked it better if 1 had called her a Car- 
ribean Sea Islander?” 

The question was asked with a little malicious laugh, 
but Philip did not smile in reply. He felt annoyed and 
disappointed, and Clara was not slow to perceive it. The 
sneer passed from her well-bred face, which assumed a look 
of regret; and allowing one of her hands to rest upon her 
lover’s knees, she softly said: 

“ I am sorry if I hurt the girl’s feelings, Philip, since 
you are interested in her.” 

And she is an orphan, and solely under our charge— 
my mother’s and mine— Clara,” replied the young man, 
eagerly. “ That is a claim upon our tenderest considera- 
tion, you know.” 

“ Yes. I am sorry. What shall I say to her?” 

‘'•.Can you find it in your heart to say anything, dear?” 
asked Philip, well pleased, and taking the hand in his own. 

“ Certainly; if I have been wrong, I will make amends. 
Where is Miss Tempest now?” 

“ In her own chamber. Perhaps you had better wait 


54 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


for a little while before you go to her. She feels very in- 
dignant just now at both of us.’^ 

“ Then I certainly should not wait a moment before do- 
ing something toward making her feel haj^pier/' insisted 
Clara, with sweet alacrity; and rising, she passed out of 
the room so quickly that Philip did not resolve to detain 
her, although his judgment still told him that this was not 
the moment to attempt a reconciliation with his high- 
spirited ward. 

“ But a woman's tact and quick feelings wjll carry Clara 
through where 1 should entirely fail, said he, aloud; and 
crossing the room, he began to play with Louisa’s pretty 
spaniel. Frolic, who, seated in one of the deep window- 
benches, attentively surveyed the antics of two kittens 
upon the lawn before the house. 

Miss Vere, meantime, with a mocking smile upon her 
lips, glided lightly up the stairs, and knocked upon the 
door of the chamber she knew to be appropriated to 
Kegina. The door was promptly opened by Topaz, who 
returned the visitor’s look of surprise with one full of wary 
scrutiny. 

“ I wish to speak to Miss Tempest,” began Clara, coldly. 

“ 1 will tell her. Who shall I say?’^ 

“ Miss Vere. I have but a word to say, if she will but 
step to the door.” 

AVith a half-apologetic bow, Toy)az closed the door for 
an instaut, then opened it to say: 

“ My mistress is engaged, and can see no one.^^ 

“ Oh, very well. She is within there, is she not.^” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“ Then 1 will speak from here. Miss Tempest, Mr. 
Douglass informs me that you felt hurt at my fancying you 
came from some island in the Southern Ocean. He has 
now told me that your native place is Cuba, an island*—-” 

“ Close that door, Topaz!” commanded a clear voice 
from within the room, and the command was instantly 
obeyed, the door closing almost before Miss Vere could 
withdraw her face from the opening. As the young lady 
found herself thus insulted, she stood upright, her cold 
eyes fixing themselves upon the door, while a hard and 
cruel line settled about her thin lips. 

“ 1 shall return that compliment some day,” remarked 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


55 


she, softl}^; and then she glided down the stairs, and back 
to the room where Philip still stood playing with the dog. 

“ Back so soon? How did you succeed?’^ asked he, a 
little anxiously, as she came toward him. Clara shook her 
head and smiled sadly. 

“Not very well. She would not let me in, and when 1 
was trying to explain and apologize, she, or rather her 
woman by her orders, slammed the door in my face.^^ 

Philip’s face (Jarkened. 

“ She will be best let alone for awhile. She is hardly 
more than a spoiled child, and must be treated as one. Do 
not go near her again, Clara; you have done your duty.” 

“ And failed. I am very sorry if you are annoyed about 
it, Philip.” 

“'Not annoyed at you, dear, for you have made ample 
amends for your thoughtless little speech; and now let us 
speak of something else.” 

When dinner was announced, Philjp quietly informed 
his mother that Kegina was fatigued, and preferred not to 
come down, but would like something sent up; and Mrs. 
Douglass, the soubof hospitality in its widest sense, never 
thought of questioning her guest’s pleasure. Neither was 
any remark made when Kegina did not appear at break- 
fast; but when that meal was over, the mother inquired: 

“ Philip, should not you go to ask if Miss Tempest is 
ill? Or would she see Louisa or me, do you suppose? 1 
tapped at her door last night, but got no answer.” 

“ I will see her myself, mother,” replied the young 
man. “ Or rather, 1 will beg that she may not be di&- 
turbed until Clara and 1 return from riding. 1 think she 
will prefer to be alone until then.” 

“ Very well, dear. Louisa will be busy with Miss Reed 
all the morning, so that^the house will be quiet, if the poor 
child feels like resting after her long journey.” 

But the good lady would not have thought of rest could 
she have seen the lithe figure crouching upon the window- 
seat of Queen Tempest’s chamber, and watching through 
the closed blinds, as the horses came round to the door, 
and Philip Douglass, leading his betrothed down the steps, 
seated her upon the back of Black Bess, and stood for a 
moment arranging her draperies, and murmuring some 
phrase of compliment or tenderness. Clara Vere’s tall 
and slender figure looked well upon horseback, and the 


56 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


close-fitting habit and graceful hat and plume became her 
well; while the little excitement, the fresh air, and per- 
haps her lover^s words, had deepened the rare color of her 
cheek until it bloomed like a carnation set in the heart of 
a lily. Not a detail, not a charm escaped the eager eyes 
peering down upon them; and Topaz, watching her mis- 
tress, saw the little hand clinch itself convulsively against 
the blind, heard the sound of angry teeth grating upon 
each other, and she knew that Queen Tempest was in that 
mood in which, upon the old plantation, she might have 
ordered a man thrown to the hounds, or flogged half to 
death, or banished forever from his home and her sight; 
and Topaz, though she loved her mistress better than any- 
thing else upon the round earth, did not restrain a glitter- 
ing smile as she remembered that, in this land of freedom, 
the little queen had no more power than another, and 
could claim no service or deference beyond what a free 
man or woman might reasonably offer. 

But while the thought passed through her mind, the 
sound of horses^ hoofs was heard clattering down the 
avenue, and Eegina, turning from the window, rushed 
across the room and threw herself upon the bed in a frenzy 
of tears and sobs. 

Topaz, forgetting all else, hastened to comfort her, but 
for a long time could get no response to all her tender en- 
treaties, no notice of all her fond questioning; nothing, in 
fact, but the heart-broken cry repeated again and again: 

“ Oh, father! father! 1 want to go to you! I want to 
die and go to you! Oh, father! come and take me! 
Come! come! come!^’ 

“ Poor child! She is as lonesome as I am, though she is 
almost a queen; and I — But she is my sister, though she 
will never know it.’^ 

So whispered Topaz to herself as she watched the stormy 
agony of that proud and tortured heart, until crossing the 
chamber with the sinuous and graceful motion peculiar to 
her, she laid a hand lightly upon Queen Tempest^s shoul- 
der, and said: 

“Miss Regina, you did not use to cry when things vexed 
you, but to make them come right. 

“ 1 can not now. Topaz. I have lost my power, and my 
home, and all — all!"’ 

“ You haven’t lost Topaz, mistress. And Juan is just 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 57 

% 

the same as yours. What do you, want done? Tell me, 
and see if we two can not do it.^^ 

“ I want to go home to Esperanza,^^ moaned Eegina, 
cowering back upon the bed. 

“ And leave Mr. Philip with that lady?’^ asked Topaz, 
quietly. 

Eegina started up, her eyes blazing through their tears, 
and a sudden color flaming upon her cheek, and adding a 
strange, wild charm to her ordinarily pallid beauty. 

“Mr. Philip! What do 1 care for him?’^ demanded 
she. “ 1 hate and despise him, and her too’^^ 

“ And if you could wring her heart, and humble his 
pride, by taking him away from her, mistress!’^ suggested 
the servant, in an humble but crafty tone, and fixing her 
strange, golden eyes upon Eegina^s face, where still the 
rare color glowed and deepened. 

Impatient of the scrutiny, she sprung from the bed and 
returned to the window whence she had watched the lovers 
ride away; and, leaning against the casing, peeped idly 
through the blind, upon which she drummed nervously 
with her fingers. 

Topaz watched and waited, her creamy cheeks wrinkled 
with a smile which was almost a sneer. 

At last, without looking round, Eegina said, in a low 
voice : 

“ I might like to punish her — them, if 1 knew how, and 
it was not too much trouble. 

“ It can be done, mistress, with no trouble to you. And 
when it is done, it will be time for us to go,^’ 

“ And can you arrange that also. Topaz ?^' asked 
Eegina, turning suddenly toward her; for this part of the 
subject was one which aroused no show in her proud spirit. 
“I have no money, or "none of any consequence, and I 
know nothing of how we ought to journey, or — 

“ J uan knows. Juan will manage all that, and I will find 
the money,^^ replied Topaz, with conviction in her tone. 
“ A rich lady like you, mistress, has a right to take her 
money when it is kept from her. 

“ But how — about the— about Miss Vere?^^ stammered 
Eegina, again turning toward the window. “ How can 
she be punished? How can 1 make hirn loathe the sight 
of her, and— an4— 


58 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ And love you instead of her, mistress?’^ asked Topaz, 
quietly. 

“No, you insolent fool! What do 1 care for his love? 
Am I so poor, or so hideous, or so powerless that 1 must 
go begging for any man’s love? Even you dare to insult 
me now!” 

But the burst of passion was as short-lived as it was in- 
tense, and a few words of humble apology from the servant 
soon sufficed to gain her pardon. Then she said: 

“ You need know nothing more about it, mistress; but 
your enemy shall be punished, and her lover shall loathe 
the sight of her before to-morrow’s sun sets.” 

“ But you are not to injure her — too much. She is to 
be punished for her insolence, but not — ” 

“ She shall not be touched in life or limb,” promised 
Topaz. 

And, taking a book, Regina affected to become absorbed 
in its contents. 


CHAPTER XL 

AN ARMED TRUCE. 

The room assigned to Miss Tempest at Douglassdale — 
as the old family mansion was called — was at one of the 
front angles of the house, and was divided from that be- 
ll ind it, belonging to Louisa Douglass, by a small room, 
occupied by that young lady as a study and sitting-room, 
>where she generally spent the morning with her daily gov- 
erness, Miss Reed, a lady of whom no more need be said 
than that she might have been produced as an automatic 
education machiue at any industrial exhibition, without 
fear of contradiction upon the part of the most curious ob- 
server. Like most scientifically constructed machines, she 
answered her purpose admirably, and Mrs. Douglass valued 
her even above her Florence sewing-machine. 

A point in the routine to which this teaching machine 
was adapted was to close the morning session of her labors 
at precisely twelve o’clock, giving her pupil two hours for 
rest, recreation, and lunch, after which came a music- 
lesson, and another hour of grinding at the machine. 
Daring these two hours of recreation, the study was 
vacated and aired; and it was part of the hygienic attach- 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


59 


ment. of the machine to forbid the occupation of the room, 
during this interval by pupil, teacher, or any other person. 

Philip Douglass, returning from his ride, remembered 
this ancient rule, and finding that the hour was half past 
twelve, he decided to avail himself of the opportunity 
alforded by Miss Vere^s retirement to her own room, to 
have a private and experimental interview with his haughty 
ward. 

Entering the little study, he closed and locked the door, 
then knocked upon that of Eegina’s chamber, which was 
presently opened by Topaz, who, at sight of him, lowered 
her eyelids with a stealthy and embarrassed smile. 

“ I wish to speak with your mistress. Topaz. Will you 
ask her to step into this room?’^ said the young man. But 
before the girl had time for reply, Regina herself pushed 
the door further open and stood upon the threshold, ele- 
gantly dressed and superbly handsome. 

“ You wish for an interview with me, Mr. Douglass?^ ^ 
inquired she, quite in the manner of La Esperanza — a 
manner which Philip Douglass had scarcely seen in all the 
subsequent weeks of travel and intimate association. 

“ 1 want to speak with you, Regina — yes,^’ said he, smil- 
ing a little. “ Will you come into this room and allow 
Topaz to close that door?’^ 

Regina slowly inclined her head, walked a few steps into 
the study, and stood like a princess waiting to hear the 
petition of her rebellious subjects. Douglass, undaunted, 
took her hand and led her to the little horse-hair sofa be- 
side the window. Then, still holding her hand, still look- 
ing into her face with that half smile which at once ridi- 
culed her pretensions and spoke a real kindliness of feeling 
far deeper than the ridicule, he said: “Now, my dear 
child, is this worth while? Does it make you happy, or 
will it change anything which displeases you?'" 

“ I am not accustomed to being called to account in this 
manner, Mr. Douglass," said Regina, haughtily. 

“ 1 know it; but I am your guardian now, and I must 
do my best to make a reasonable being out of a very willful 
and unreasonable child. Regina, you do not, I think, wish 
to grieve and distress me." 

Regina lifted her pale face, looked at him steadily for a 
moment, then looked away without reply. The look was 
a defiance, a challenge; it spoke a hidden thought which 


60 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

Philip Douglass could not fathom. After a moment he 
asked again : 

“ Do you really dislike and wi h to wound me, Regina?^^ 

“ I have not considered my feelings toward you suffi- 
ciently to give them expression,'^ replied Miss Tempest, 
carelessly. “ You desired me to remain in my room for 
an indefinite period. Is it at an end? Or what humilia- 
tion do you propose before unlocking my prison doors?" 

“ Regina, you were not like this upon our journey!" 
exclaimed Philip, in a tone of reproach un mixed with 
authority. 

Regina glanced at him with softening eyes. 

“ And you were not like what you were last night," said 
she, in a changed voice. 

“ It was you who forced me to be harsh, or to appear 
so. Can you doubt, Regina, that I care very much for 
your welfare, and am only striving to do my duty when I 
seem other than indulgent? Shall we be friends again, 
Regina?" 

But Queen Tempest would not accept the proffered hand. 
In her code of honor, no man could be her friend against 
whose friend she meditated an injury; and the more she 
found her heart softening toward Philip, the more bitterly 
' she hardened it against Clara. 

So, without touching the hand, she rose from the sofa, 
and said: 

“lam not apt to make professions, Mr. Douglass, and 
a captive can hardly make treaties that will hold when he 
is free. I want to see your sister and mother." 

“But, Regina, you have insulted Miss Vere afresh by 
refusing to listen to her explanation. Will not you say 
that you are sorry for that?" 

“ No; 1 will not!" replied Queen Tempest, decisively. 
“ The explanation, as you call it, was only a fresh insult. 
1 hate Miss Vere, and I despise her, and I will not pretend 
to any other feelings. If she does not molest me, 1 will 
not express those feelings, and 1 shall behave as becomes 
my position and my self-respect. That is all that I will 
promise." 

“ Then you will — But, no; you are almost a woman 
grown, and it is both distasteful and out of character for 
me to exercise personal restraint toward you. Miss Tem- 
pest. I am highly displeased and disappointed; but 1 shall 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


61 


neither confine you to your room nor use any threats as to 
my future conduct. I merely say that I am your guard- 
ian and the master of this house, and that I shall take 
care that Miss Vere, while a guest under its roof, shall be 
treated at least with decent civility by all its inmates. You 
will come down-stairs when you choose.^' 

And, with an angry face, Mr. Douglass loft the room at 
the very moment Miss Vere emerged from her own cham- 
ber, dressed in a becoming toilet of pale-blue silk, which 
suited her delicate complexion perfectly. 

“Philip, have you been scolding Louisa, that you look 
so severe?’^ she asked. 

Philip forced a smile, but made no other reply. The 
same feeling of tenderness for Regina^s proud and sensitive 
feelings, which had made him seek her privately, now in- 
duced him to conceal the interview, and Clara asking no 
further questions, the two went down-stairs together, and 
out upon the lawn. 

Almost at the sait^e moment, Louisa, hastily entering 
the study from her own chamber, was considerably startled 
at finding Regina standing in the middle of the floor, her 
hands convulsively clasped together, her face white and 
rigid. 

“ Miss Tempest! Why, how came you — Were you 
looking for me?^^ asked Louisa, in her out-spoken fashion. 

“No. Your brother brought me in here, and — 

“ And you did not know the way out?” asked Louisa, 
with a laugh. “ This is the door. You are ready to come 
down to lunch — are you not?” 

“ Yes,” replied Regina, absently; and Louisa led the 
way to the dining-room, where the rest of the family were 
already assembled. 

“ How came you to be so ungallant as to leave Miss 
Tempest in my study all alone, Phil?” asked PhiPs sister, 
as the two girls seated themselves opposite to Clara Vere. 
“ I just found her there, looking quite scared and losir.” 

As these words reached her ear. Miss Clara Vere raised 
her cold eyes, and fixed them first upon her lover’s face, 
then upon that of Regina, and, finally, dropped them 
again, with a quiet sneer. Philfp felt and chafed under 
the suspicion it implied, but coolly replied: 

“ 1 did not know that Regina was ready to come down, 
or 1 would have shown her the way, certainly.” 


62 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ Where were you about half au hour ago, Louisa?^' 
asked Miss Vere, in her cool, smooth voice, and without 
raising her eyes from her plate. “ I was looking for you. 

“I have been in my own chamber ever since twelve 
o’clock,’’ replied Louisa, carelessly. “ I never stay in the 
study, you know, between twelve and two. Miss Reed does 
not like me to do so. ” 

“Oh!” replied Miss Vere; and then the conversation 
dropped. 

Regina, who had understood nothing of it except the 
sneer, which she had received with haughty contempt, 
made no remark; and a somewhat embarrassed silence fell 
upon the company, broken by Mrs. Douglass, who said: 

“ The afternoon is so fine that we will go out in the 
open wagon, I think, and show Regina something of the 
country. You will go, Clara, I hope?” 

“ Thank you, madame; but I have been out once to- 
day, you know, so 1 will rest this afternoon, and allow you 
and Mr. Douglass to give your undivided attention to Miss 
Tempest.” 

The words were courteous, the manner and tone sweet; 
but Philip Douglass felt the covert sting, and a slight 
frown contracted his forehead. Clara Vere felt her power, 
and used it. 

“Or perhaps Louisa will give me a seat in her pony- 
carriage, if she is going out,” added she. “ We two are 
always harmonious together. ” 

“ Phil and you can have the pony- wagon to yourselves, 
if you like,” replied Louisa, abruptly. “ I am going for a 
walk after lessons.” 

“ Then 1 will drive my mother and the two young 
ladies,” remarked Philip; but Miss Vere, with a cold smile, 
declared : 

“ Really you must excuse me. I am very tired indeed, 
and shall not go out at all this afternoon.” And, a few 
moments later, she actually retired to her own room, and 
would not be persuaded to leave it by any entreaties. So 
Philip, feeling himself under punishment, and resenting 
the position exceedingly, sat upon the front seat of the 
beach-wagon and drove, with little more effort at making 
himself agreeable than the coachman would have made; 
and Regina, sitting upon the back seat, found herself very 
miserable, and attributed it wholly to Clara Vere’s influ- 


QUEEN TEMPEST 


63 


ence; and poor Mrs. Douglass, compelled to supply conver- 
sation for three, found it rather heavy work, and was 
sincerely glad when the drive was over. 

Miss Vere came down to dinner serene and radiant, but 
somewhat cool of demeanor to her lover, and perfectly un- 
conscious of Miss Tempest’s presence, except when forced 
to acknowledge it in the course of table etiquette. 

The evening passed, somewhat heavily, in cards and 
music, with a little forced conversation. At nine o’clock 
the light supper — which was one of the traditions of Mrs. 
Douglass’s liberal housekeeping — was served; and, as the 
family passed into the dining-room, Regina, looking up, 
saw Topaz watching them over the baluster with her 
yellow eyes. Queen Tempest shivered a little, then closed 
her lips sternly and haughtily, and passed on. The maid 
saw the look, and drawing back, muttered: 

“ She hasn’t changed her mind. I’m glad of that.” 

Then noiselessly returning to the chamber she shared 
with her mistress, she drew the box containing her clothes 
from under the bed, opened it, and produced from its low- 
est recesses a small, covered basket woven of finely split 
bamboo. Within this basket were several small gourds, 
closely stoppered. One of these Tdpaz selected, replaced the 
basket, and locked her box. Then concealing the gourd 
in the bosom of her dress, she softly passed out of the 
chamber, listened a moment over the stairs, then quietly 
passed into Miss Vere’s room. A pair of candles stood 
upon the dressing-table, and one of them she lighted, then 
looked eagerly about her. Miss Vere’s complexion was ad- 
mirable, and, therefore, she could not be contented to 
leave it to nature; her hair, if not uncommonly beautiful, 
was very good, and she made it worse by empirical aids. 
In fact, Clara Vere, being by nature artificial, followed her 
nature, and never trusted to pure nature, but pinned her 
faith upon the appliances of art, especially in matters of 
the toilet. 

Topaz looked about her with an intelligent smile for a 
moment, then uncovering a box of pearl-powder, she shook 
into it about a tea-spoonful of the white powder contained 
in her gourd, sprinkled a little into a pair of cosmetic 
gloves, and mixed another portion with a bottle of some 
wonderful hair invigorator standing upon the toilet table. 
Then replacing everything as she had found it, she exting- 


64 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

uished the candle, and crept away as stealthily as she had 
come. 

“Wait till to-morrow morning, and see,^’ remarked 
Topaz to herself as she put away her little gourd, and 
locked the box. But not one word of this adventure did 
she narrate to her mistress, when that young lady came, 
presently, upstairs. 


CHAPTER Xll. 

ANEWCOSMETIC. 

The family were assembled at the breakfast-table the 
next morning when Clara entered the room, dressed with 
her usual elaborate care, and murmuring a slight apology 
for her tardiness, took her usual seat at Mrs. Douglass’s 
right hand. 

Every one returned the morning salutation except 
Regina, who never raised her eyes; but Louisa, who sat 
directly opposite, after the first careless glance at her 
guest’s face, opened her eyes in a stare of undisguised 
amazement, so prolonged as finally to attract Miss Vere’s 
attention, and cause her to ask, in a slightly annoyed tone: 

“ Well, my dear, you look surprised!” 

“ What — have — you been doing to your face?” asked 
Louisa, in a tone of such utter bewilderment that every 
one turned to look at the cause of her astonishment. 

There certainly was sufficient occasion, for Miss Vere’s 
exquisite complexion had turned — was turning before their 
eyes — to a . bright mottled green; the same tint being re- 
produced in her hair and upon her hands, as was apparent 
when she raised one to her face, seeking the explanation of 
Louisa’s exclamation. 

“ Good gracious! Clara, my dear, what is the matter?” 
cried Mrs. Douglass; while Philip, rising from the table, 
came close to the side of his betrothed, and silently ex- 
amined her face. 

“ What is it all? What is the matter with my face?” 
asked Miss Vere, sharply; and rising, she hastened to a 
mirror at the end of the room. 

But, as the image it refiected met her eyes, she started 
back with a cry of unaffected horror, and covering her face 
with her hands, would have rushed from the room, had 
not Philip detained her, saying, tenderly; 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


65 


“ Do not run away, dear. Who should comfort you and 
care for you but us? What has caused this disfigurement? 
What have you applied to your skin?’^ 

“ I don^t know! Oh, don^t keep me here! Let me go!’^ 
cried the girl, struggling in his grasp, and so evidently tort- 
ured by the pitying gaze which all fixed upon her, that 
Philip at last released her, and she flew out of the room 
without another word. 

“ Follow her, mother! — she can not refuse to allow you 
to help her — and see whether you can find any cause. 
There must be one. She must have applied something to 
her face. She will tell you sooner than she would me.’^ 

“ Yes, yes, Philip, I will see. Poor child— what can it 
be?^’ 

And kind-hearted Mrs. Douglass hastened from the 
room, leaving Philip alone with the two girls and the auto- 
matic machine, which not being set for emergencies, offered 
no suggestion of any sort. 

“ Very strange!’^ muttered Philip, striding to the win- 
dow, and pulling his mustache as he stared at the brilliant 
autumn landscape. 

.A feeling of annoyance was struggling with pity and 
concern in his mind, for honesty and sincerity were the 
watch- words of this man^s life; and any sham, even those 
appliances of the toilet, so universal now among the ladies, 
were detestable to his mind and repugnant to his taste. 
He stood, therefore, silent and gloomy, when his mother 
left the room, his back to the table, where Louisa had re- 
seated herself to philosophically finish her breakfast. 

Regina, who had risen with the rest, stood, for a few 
moments, looking wistfully at Philip, then seated herself 
in an arm-chair beside the fire, and waited. 

Mrs. Douglass presently returned, and, going close to 
her son, said, softly: 

“ We had better send for the doctor at once, Philip. 
Clara has various cosmetics, some of which she applied last 
night, and some this morning; and I am not wise enough 
in such matters to discover which has done the mischief. 
The poor girl is in a dreadful way.^^ 

“ 1 will send for the doctor at once,^^ exclaimed Philip, 
moving toward the door. . 

Rut his mother laid a detaining hand upon his arm, and 
8 


66 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


leading him behind the flowing window drapery, she con- 
tinued, in a tone of much embarrassment: 

“ There is one thing, more, Philip, which J am afraid I 
ought to mention, although 1 am sure 1 do not suspect — 
but Clara does, and she insisted upon my telling you im- 
mediately, and — 

“ What is.it, my dear mother? Do, for Heaven’s sake, 
speak out plainly!’’ exclaimed Philip, in uncontrollable 
irritation. 

“ Well, it is just this,” and Mrs. Douglass drew from 
her pocket and placed in her son’s hands a little handker- 
chief of embroidered cambric, edged with lace, and bearing 
in the center a monogram of the letters K. T., with a tiny 
crown embroidered above them. 

“ 1 found that close beside the dressing-table, Philip,” 
said Mrs. Douglass, in a trembling voice, and Philip’s face, 
as he examined the pretty trifle, turned of that leaden hue 
so much more ghastly than the clear pallor of a blonde 
complexion. 

“ Found it beside Clara’s dressing-table?” asked he, 
sharply. 

“ Yes, Philip, 1 picked it up myself, and Clara seized 
upon it at once as proof; and she would have me show it 
to you immediately,” murmured poor Mrs. Douglass. 

“ Very well. The question of proof is easily settled,” 
replied her son; and striding across the room, he held the 
handkerchief before Regina’s eyes, and sternly demanded. 

“ Does that belong to you. Miss Tempest?” 

“Yes, I should think so. Those are .my initials,” re- 
plied Regina, nonchalantly. 

“ And when did you last have it?” 

“ Really, I can not say. I have several handkerchiefs, 
and do not keep a journal of their separate service.” 

“Miss Tempest, this flippancy is unbecoming and use- 
less. Your handkerchief was found in Miss Vere’s cham- 
ber!” 

/‘Indeed! She should have been welcome to it, with- 
out resorting to such a course, if she had told me she 
wished for it. I believe I have some still unmarked, which 
I will present to her.” 

“Miss Tempest!” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Did you drop this handkerchief in Miss Vere’s room?” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


6 ' 


“No, sir. 

“ Have jTou ever been in that room?” 

“Mr. Douglass, I have indulged yon so far; but your 
manner is becoming impertinent, and your voice so loud 
that it fatigues me. I shall answer no more questions, and 
prefer not to be addressed again for the present. ” 

And sinking back in her chair, with all the indolent 
grace of a creole. Queen Tempest laid her head against the 
cushions, half closed her eyes, and sunk into one of the 
luxurious reveries of which she was so fond. 

Philip remained staring at her in ’angry bewilderment, 
while his .mother stood, half crying, at his elbow, and 
Louisa, turning round in her chair, opened her bright eyes 
and arched her decided brows in wonder and inquiry. 

“ Five minutes to nine, my dear Louisa,” remarked the 
automatic machine, rising from the table and moving 
toward the door. 

“ Yes, go, Louisa, my love,” said Mrs. Douglass, in a 
low voice, for her maternal fears had already been aroused, 
lest so glaring a case of disobedience and disrespect should 
be contagious. 

Louisa took another long stare at the graceful, recum- 
bent figure in the easy-chair, glanced at her brother’s face, 
stern and hard as bronze, at her mother’s, flushed and 
worried, then finished the bit of muffin upon her plate, and 
rising from the table, left the room — her rosy lips pursed 
in the form for whistling — an accomplishment not to be 
indulged in in her mother’s presence, although the shrill 
notes of “Oh! dear, what can the matter be?” became 
audible the moment the door was closed. 

Then Philip Douglass spoke again, and his voice was 
ominously calm. 

“ Miss Tempest, this thing can go on no longer. I de- 
mand an explanation, and I will have it at once.” 

“ But how will you get it?” sleepily inquired Eegina. 
“ 1 have told you that I do not choose to talk any more 
upon the subject, and I really can not see how you will 
compel me to do so. Even if you were to carry me out of 
the room in your arms, I do not think it would be as suc- 
cessful an argument as it *was at Esperanza, for This is a 
question which mere brute force will not settle.” 

An angry red replaced the sallow tint of the young man’s 
cheek as this retort met his ear, and turning hastily away. 


68 QUEEJq- TEMPEST. 

he paced once or twice through the room, then rang the 
bell. 

A pretty parlor-maid answered it almost immediately, 
and received from Mr. Douglass the order to: 

“ Send Tom immediately for Doctor Brewster. Let him 
ride, and follow the doctor wherever he may have gone, 
until he finds him. Then send Miss Tempest^s maid here. 

“ Yes, sir,^^ replied Kitty, with a demure glance at the 
young lady in the arm-chair, whose half-shut eyes never 
wavered from their sleepy contemplation of the fire. 

Mrs. Douglass would have followed the servant from the 
room, but was detained by a glance from Philip, who said, 
as the door closed : 

“ Please sit down and remain here, mother. I wish you 
to listen with me to the examination of the maid, who can 
hardly, 1 should imagine, venture upon the course adopted 
by her mistress. 

“ Eeaily, Philip, I had rather be excused,'^ murmured 
poor Mrs. Douglass, but seated herself in the chair desig- 
nated. 

The next moment, with a modest tap at the door, Topaz 
glided into the room, anH stood meekly awaiting order or 
question 

“ Come here, if you please, Topaz,^’ said Mr. Douglass; 
and, as the girl approached, he fixed his eyes sternly upon 
her and extended the handkerchief. “ Does that belong 
to your mistress?’^ 

“ Yes, sir.^' 

“ Has she carried it lately?'^ 

“ I should think it was the one she threw aside when she 
dressed for dinner last night, sir. I remember 1 laid out 
another for her to take when she came down.^^ 

“ At what time was Miss Tempest in Miss Vere^s cham- 
ber?^' 

“I did not know that she had been there at all, sir. 
She was in her own room until you called her into the little 
study, and then she came down with Miss Douglass, and I 
brought down her hat and shawl, and carried them away 
again; and I was with her all the time until she went to 
dinner, and I did not know that she left the drawing-room 
after that until she came up to bed, and Miss Vere was up- 
stairs first. ^ 

“ She did not leave the room all the evening,^' said Mrs. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


69 


Douglass, in a low voice; and Regina, opening her eyes 
and sitting upright, bestowed a radiant smile upon the old 
lad}^, and said, “ Thank you, madame,” with an air at 
once so sweet and so queenly, that Mrs. Douglass was from 
that moment convinced that, however wrong she might be 
in manner, Regina Tempest was sound and true at heart. 
The next instant, the young lady had relapsed into her old 
attitude, and appeared neither to listen to or be disturbed 
by the examination which proceeded. 

“ Topaz, this handkerchief was found in Miss Vere’s 
room. Now, I am determined to know who dropped it 
there; and if I can not find out for myself, 1 will have the 
oifiicers of the law to help me. There are punishments 
even here for rebellious and untruthful servants, and 1 am 
not to be trifled with. Tell me immediately what you 
know of this matter 

“ Yes, master. What matter, master? What does mas- 
ter want to know?” asked Topaz, her yellow eyes rolling, 
and her teeth chattering with apparent terror. 

“ I wish to know whether Miss Tempest visited Miss 
Vere’s room yesterday or last night.” 

“ Why, master, it’s clean impossible that she should, 
and 1 not know; and I’ll take my oath on the Bible, mas- 
ter, that she didn’t, so far as I know. ” 

“ Did she send you, then?” 

“ No, master, she did not.” 

“ Did you have her handkerchief after she threw it 
aside?” 

“No, master; that is, not to do any harm with it, mas- 
ter,” stammered Topaz, apparently suddenly confused. 

“ What do you mean by that?” sternly demanded Mr. 
Douglass. 

“ Why, sir, Kitty was in our room in the evening, and 
I was showing her the embroidery upon it, because I did it 
myself, sir.” 

“ Kitty!” exclaimed both Mr. and Mrs. Douglass, in 
consternation. 

“ Yes, sir,” meekly replied Topaz, without raising her 
eyes. 

“What became of the handkerchief after you had 
shown it to Kitty?” asked Philip, presently. 

“ 1 left it in her hands, sir, while I laid out Miss Regina’s 
night-clothes, and then we went down-stairs together. 1 


70 


QUEEiT TEMPEST. 


sufjposo she laid it down on the dressing-table where we 
were standing."^ 

“ And you never entered Miss Vere’s room, at all?’’ 

“ No, sir; we went down-stairs together.” 

Without reply, Mr. Douglass again rang the bell, and, 
when Kitty appeared, he briefly inquired: 

“ Have you ever seen this handkerchief before, Kitty?” 

“ Yes, sir. Topaz was showing it to me, last night, in 
Miss Tempest’s room,” replied the girl, readily. 

“ And what became of it after you had looked at it?” 

“ I laid it on the table where I was standing, sir.” 

“ Are you sure that neither you nor Topaz took it out of 
the room?” 

“ I did not, sir;. and 1 did not see that she did,” replied 
Kitty, rather shortly; for she did not relish this examina- 
tion, which looked so very like suspicion of her honesty. 

“ Did you go into Miss Vere’s room on your way down- 
stairs, either of you?” 

“ No, we did not.” 

“ Or did you go into it afterward, before bed-time?’* 

“No, sir; I did not.” 

“ That will do, Kitty; you may go.” 

And Kitty flounced out of the room in decided displeas- 
ure. 

“ Once for all. Topaz, and this is your last chance be- 
fore I put the matter into other and severer hands than 
my own,” said Mr. Douglass, aS the door closed, “ answer 
me distinctly, have you ever been in Miss Vere’s chamber, 
or do you know what is the cause of the misfortune which 
has befallen her?” 

“ As sure as I’m alive, sir, I haven’t been near that 
young lady; but Kitty was telling me how she looked, and 
I’m afraid, sir, she’s put too much of that stuff on her skin, 
sir. They say it always ppisons them after awhile, though 
I didn’t know it turned them green, sir.” 

“ That will do. Topaz. 1 shall put the case in the hands 
of the police, now,” replied Mr. Douglass; and Topaz left 
the room, followed by Mr. Douglass and his mother. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


71 


CHAPTER XIII. 

TOPAZ BORROWS JUANAS CLOTHES. 

Left to herself, Regina opened her eyes, smiled a little 
maliciously, sat upright, and presently rose from the great 
chair, stretched herself like a kitten who has been asleep 
upon the hearth-rug, and sauntered slowly out of the room, 
and upstairs. In her own chamber she found Topaz de- 
murely seated at her embroidery. Regina took no notice 
of her, at first, but, after listlessly wending about the room 
for a few moments, as if at a loss for occupation, she sud- 
denly said: 

“ How came you to have one of my handkerchiefs about 
you. Topaz? Do you use my clothes without my knowl- 
edge?^’ 

“Ho, indeed. Miss Regina,” replied the maid, without 
looking up. “But I must have slipped, that into my 
pocket, in mistake for my own, which I had been showing 
Kitty, too, and they both lay on the table together. ” 

“ Very well. Be more careful next time.” 

And this was all the conversation between mistress 
and maid which ever passed upon the subject of Miss 
Vere’s misfortune; for Regina, like many a more genuine 
potentate, was willing to be served in some ways which she 
was too proud to confess, even to herself, and Topaz knew 
the humor of her young sovereign quite too well to en- 
deavor to make an accomplice of her, even so far as by an 
allusion to her late exploit. The threat which Mr. Doug- 
lass had somewhat rashly held out of placing the matter in 
the hands of the law had but little terror either for mis- 
tress or maid, the former not having yet achieved the idea 
of any law but her own pleasure, and the latter being pos- 
sessed by that stoical spirit of fidelity to her “ little queen,” 
which, in her mind, superseded all other obligations. 

About an hour later. Miss Tempest, sitting ip her win- 
dow, with a book in her hand, and her eyes fixed upon the 
horizon, heard the arrival of a light carriage, and glancing 
down, saw a gentleman alight from his buggy, whom she 
decided to be the doctor. A faint smile curled her lip, and 
she murmured, half aloud; 


72 


QUEEN TEMPEST, 


“ I should like to know what this man says about Miss 
Vere/^ 

Topaz quietly laid down her work and left the room. 

Regina remained gazing at the horizon for nearly an 
hour longer. At the end of that time the doctor left the 
house and drove away; and, a moment after, Topaz softly 
entered the room, and resumed her seat and her work. 

“ The doctor has been to see Miss Vere, mistress,^" said 
she. 

“ Has he?” murmured Regina, listlessly. 

“Yes, mistress; and he says that he suspects there is 
something mixed with her pearl-powder and hair-oil, and 
the stuff she puts on her hands nights, that stains her skin 
and hair. He has taken some of the powder and oil home 
to analyze, but I donT think he’ll know what is in them 
after be has done it. Aunty Monie used to tell stories of 
stuff she knew how to make that no doctor could find out. 
She knew of something that stained anybody’s skin so that it 
never quite came off, unless the skin itself came too; and 
she knew of things that would kill anybody, slow or quick, 
just as you liked, and never leave any mark at all. Doctor 
Lefevre tried to find out what made a girl die at Esperanza, 
and he had another doctor to help him, but they could never 
find the least trace of anything wrong. Aunty Mome said 
she guessed she knew what made that girl die, but she 
wasn't sure. Aunty Mome was a wise woman, mistress.” 

“ I wish I was at Esperanza,” said Regina, dreamily. 

“ The doctor told Mrs. Douglass that he should have to 
put some very strong preparation on Miss Vere’s face to 
try to turn the color of this stuff that lias got worked into 
the skin; and, if that did not do, he must blister it and 
take the skin all off,” pursued Topaz. 

But Regina suddenly sprung from her chair and moved 
angrily across the room. 

“ Why do you tell me such stuff as that?” exclaimed 
she. “ What is it to me what is done to Miss Vere s skin? 
And why should I hear the disgusting details of a sick- 
room? 1 am sick and tired of this place and these people. 
I want to go to my own home, and never see one of them 
again.” 

“ I will talk with Juan to-night, mistress,” said Topaz, 
in a low voice. 

“ Very well. And do not trouble me with details. Ar- 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


73 


range the matter for yourselves, and when all is ready, tell 
me.^’ 

“ Yes, mistress. 

“ And now come and walk with me. I will not stay in 
this room like a prisoner; and I will not use these people's 
carriages, and I have none of my own. Get me a hat and 
gloves." 

And Topaz, who had seldom seen her mistress set her 
dainty feet to the ground, followed her in astonishment 
through a wild, rambling walk of several miles. 

There was a fever in Queen Tempest's blood to-day 
which raised her above fatigue or discomfort, and made 
physical and exhausting exercise as essential to her mood 
as repose and luxury were ordinarily. 

When they returned, luncheon was ready, and Regina 
appeared at the table with her usual languid and indiffer- 
ent manner. Mrs. Douglass and Louisa treated her as 
usual, but Philip merely addressed her when compelled to 
do so by his position as host, and then in a tone of icy cold- 
ness, which Regina gave no symptom of noticing in the 
least. 

“ Will you ride or drive this afternoon, my dear?" in- 
quired Mrs. Douglass, as they rose from the table. “ The 
horses and coachman are at your service. " 

But Regina politely declined, averring, as was indeed the 
truth, that she was much fatigued, and should rest herself 
through the afternoon. Dinner passed in the same man- 
ner; and, after a short evening, Miss Temi)est retired to 
her own room, where Topaz awaited her, with a face full 
of information. 

“ I've seen Juan, Miss Regina," began she, “ and he'll 
help us, though not half so much as he ought to. He's 
got so set up, being here, and Master Philip telling him all 
the time that he's free, and not to say master at all, that I 
can't do with him as 1 could at Esperanza, but I made him 
tell me just how to go from here to New York, where we 
landed, you know; and there is a steamer from there every 
Thursday; so that if we leave here to-morrow night, we 
can reach New York in time to take passage just at the 
last minute; and the best of all is^ that Mr. Philip himself 
is going away to-morrow, and will not be back before 
Thursday at noon, after our steamer is out of reach, if not 
out of sight." 


74 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ Mr. Philip going away? 'Where?'' 

“Why, Miss Vere wants the old aunt with whom she 
lives to take care of her. She won't have Mrs. Douglass, 
or the young lady, or a hired nurse, and so Mr. Philip is 
going after her. I heard it from Kitty to-night, and she 
heard it from Mrs. Douglass herself." 

“ And he goes to-morrow?" 

“ Yes, in the morning." 

“ 'Very well; then we will go at night." 

“The first train Wednesday morning will be better, for 
then we can take the cars directly for New York. Juan 
told me all about it. And, Miss Regina, J uan says it will 
be much better if we are dressed like young men." 

“ What! 1 wonder at you proposing such a thing to 
me. Topaz. I dressed as a young man, indeed!" And 
Queen Tempest raised her superb head in royal disdain. 

“1 told Juan you would not do it," replied Topaz, 
tranquilly, “and then he said it might do as 'Well if I 
was the gentleman and you the lady; and he told me that 
among Mr. Philip's clothes is a wig and mustache and 
domino that he used at the opera ball in Havana, and he 
said I might use the wig and mustache, and he would give 
me a suit of his own clothes." 

“ Juan's clothes?" 

“ Yes, mistress. I don't mind wearing Juan’s clothes; 
and this suit is one that Mr. Philip gave him, and they are 
very nice and pretty, and I can make them fit with very 
little trouble." 

“Oh, Topaz! to think of mv father's ‘little queen' 
being reduced to this!" And Regina, clasping her hands 
nervously together, paced angrily up and down the room 
for a few moments; then, stopping before Topaz, harshly 
demanded: 

“ And where is the money to come from?" 

“ Juan says. Miss Regina — " 

“ Don't begin everything with ‘ Juan says,' " interposed 
Regina, irritably. 

“ Well, mistress, there is money enough in the house, 
and we can take it; and then you can leave a note for Mr. 
Philip, and tell him to put back what you've borrowed, 
out of your own money." 

“ Bah! To find myself — me, Regina Tempest, the 
Queen of Esperanza, as my father used to call me — to find 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


75 


me reduced to stealing oiy own money, and escaping in 
disguise out of the house where 1 am almost a prisoner, 
and am insulted, and neglected, and — Oh, it is more 
than I can bear, more than ever any lady was called upon 
to bear! It is horrible! It is infamous!’’ 

And Topaz, silently comforting and soothing the tropical 
outburst of her mistress’s mood, congratulated herself that 
the question of supplies had been so lightly passed over. 

The next morning after breakfast, Philip Douglass fol- 
lowed his ward as she left the apartment, and opening the 
door of the little library, asked her to step within for a 
moment. Regina silently obeyed, and Mr. Douglass, 
coldly averting his eyes, announced: 

“lam about to leave home for a couple of days, and 
although you defy my authority and disregard my wishes, 
I shall yet hope that your' own self-respect will prevent 
your pursuing a hostile course, or mafeng any further 
trouble for any of the inmates of this house, where you 
have been kindly received and courteously entertained by 
every member of the family, so far as 1 know. Upon my 
return 1 shall take immediate measures for placing you at 
school. My intention had been that you should study with 
my sister here at home, but your own conduct has rendered 
that impossible.” 

“ I should have declined that arrangement, at any rate,” 
interposed Regina, briefly. Mr. Douglass simply bowed 
acknowledgment of her speaking, and continued : 

“ The past few days have convinced me that some 
severer restraint than I choose to use, and some sharper 
lessons than 1 choose to give, are necessary, before you can 
become a member of a well-organized household. I am 
very sorry — yes, Regina, deeply disappointed and mortified 
— for I had fancied that some regard for my wishes and 
feelings might have influenced you to — ” 

“ You flattered yourself too much, Mr. Douglass,” again 
interposed Regina; “and one who shows so very little 
regard for the feelings or wishes of another can hardly ex- 
pect that other to sacrifice all her own dignity and pride to 
please him.” 

“ Regina, when have I failed to regard your feelings?” 
began Douglass, impetuously — but then checking himself, 
added, coldly: “ It is useless to pursue this conversation, 
since you are so willfully prejudiced against the truth, and 


76 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


1 SO convinced of it. We shall gain nothing by furiher 
speech. Only, you will remember this, Kegina — that 1 
trust in your honor not to annoy, while I am gone, one 
whose present misfortune, 1 must suspect, is in some man- 
ner owing to your dislike. Good-bye, Regina. 

He extended his hand. Regina turned away, then sud- 
denly returned, laid her hand in his, and, looking into his 
eyes, her own filled with tears, she murmured, “ Good- 
bye, and was gone before Philip could add another word. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

AND USES THEM. 

The clock in the lower hall struck twelve — midnight — 
and Mrs. Douglass, sleeping less soundly than usual, per- 
haps, for her nerves had been a little shaken by the events 
of the last few days, and the renewed absence of the be- 
loved son, whose coming she had welcomed so joyfully — 
stirred uneasily, felf a dim instinct of danger near, became 
half conscious that some one or something had moved the 
pillow beneath her head, roused herself, and rising upon 
one elbow, made certain that a dark figure was moving 
across her chamber in the direction of the bay-window, 
through which came the light of a waning moon. 

But before the cry which rose to the lady’s lips could 
form itself in sound — as soon, indeed, as the rustling noise 
of her movement betrayed that she was awake — the gliding 
figure turned, and coming swiftly forward to the very bed- 
side, drew from its bosom and brandished in the dim light 
a long, glittering knife. Mrs. Douglass saw the blade; she 
saw, too, that the face of him who held it was either black 
as night or concealed by ar mask; and with one smothered 
cry of desperate terror, she dived beneath the bed-clothes, 
and covering her head, lay, half senseless and trembling 
from head to foot, for several moments — hours she thought 
them — until shame and curiosity gaining a momentary vic- 
tory over terror, she very slowly and carefully peeped out, 
saw that the room was empty, laid trembling and irreso- 
lute for a moment, then seized the bell-cord at the head of 
her bed and rang a peal so loud and long, as, in five min- 
utes, to bring ev^ry member of the household to the door, 
or inside the chamber. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


77 


** Oh, Louisa! there are robbers in the house! There ' 
has been a man — Where is Tom and the new man? 
And, oh, to think of Philip gone! Oh, Louisa! Louisa 

“ A man! robbers !^^ echoed Louisa, glancing about the 
chamber with her bright eyes; and then she hastily ran to 
the door and called: “Tom! Juan! Where are you 
hothr* 

“ Here we are, miss, coming right along, replied Tom’s 
gruff voice; and the next moment he appeared, followed 
by the mulatto. 

Louisa glanced keenly at the latter, who seemed half 
asleep. 

“ There are robbers about the house, Tom!” continued 
she, still watching Juan’s cairn face. “ Look at all the 
doors and windows below there as quickly as you can. 
Mrs. Douglass saw the man, and will know him again.” 

But even this chance shot failed to change the sleepy 
calm of J uan’s dark face, and Louisa, remembering too 
that he slept with Tom, a tried and faithful servant, dis- 
missed her half-awakened suspicious, and after some further 
hasty orders to the women-servants, she returned to soothe 
and comfort her mother, who had fallen into a fit of nerv- 
ous tears. Toward morning, however, she slept, and 
Louisa beside her, while Tom, who had willingly under- 
taken to watch through the night, snored peacefully in the 
kitchen, and the rest of the servants in their own beds. 
Only one waked; it was Juan, who sat alert and watchful 
in the front hall, close beside a door leading to the gar- 
dens, and through them by a side gate to the road. So, 
sitting in the gray morning twilight, he heard the sound of 
light feet upon the staircase over his head, and presently 
distinguished two figures — one that of a man, the other of 
a woman— creeping down the stairs, and looking eagerly 
about them. 

“ Topaz!” whispered Juan, moving toward them. 

“Yes, it’s us,” replied Topaz, in the same tone, and 
Juan glided before them to the garden door, noiselessly 
slipped back the bolts and turned the latch. The two 
passed through, and he after them. Outside he paused. 

“ I entertain serious trepidations. Miss Regina, about 
this yere enterprise,” whispered he to the muffled female 
figure, who answered him by an impatient gesture. 

“ Topaz, are you sure you recollect the destructions I ad- 


78 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

ministered about the journey?’" continued he, turning to 
the maid. 

“ Of course I do. Good-bye, Juan.” 

“But, Topaz, I don’t clear make out how you ’cumu- 
lated the funds— it wasn’t you that was in the old mistis’s 
room just now?” 

“ Come, Topaz, come quickly. Good-bye, Juan — 
here.” And Queen Tempest slipped a parting present 
into the hand of her late bondsman, and with a little hesi- 
tation, added: 

“ Topaz said you did not like to deceive Mr. Douglass, 
^Avho has been good to you, and you may, if you choose, tell 
him the whole story when once we are safely off. He 
would know, without your telling, that 1 had gone back to 
Esperanza, and he will hardly think of coming there to 
look for me. So, Juan, you may say what you choose.”' 

“ Oh, Miss Regina, I’s awful glad o’ that promission. I 
did hate to ’ceive Mr. Douglass the worst kind; but then, 
mistress, I shouldn’t ever have opened my lips, not if 1 
was to be torn in tatters by the hounds to get at the truth, 
for I never forget that I was Colonel Tempest’s boy, and 
he taught me that gentlemen don’t never lie.” 

“ There, there, my good Juan, we must go now. Good- 
bye, my poor fellow, and when you are tired of this dreary 
North and your new master, come back to Esperanza and 
to us.” 

“ Good-bye, Missy Queen,” blubbered poor Juan, his 
dignity all gone, and the habit of his childhood returning 
upon him. And, as Regina passed on, he caught Topaz 
in his arms and pressed a passionate kiss upon her lips, 
which she returned in kind, whispering: 

“ Oh, Juan, it just breaks my heart; but I’ve got to fol- 
low her if it’s the world all over.” 

“ Topaz!” imperatively whispered the mistress; and the 
maid, without another word, wiped the tears from her 
golden eyes and hurried after. 

The little station was reached without adventure, but 
not entered; for Topaz, obeying the first article of her in- 
structions, kept out of sight until the train passed in its 
hurried morning flight, then led up her mistress, and put 
her aboard upon the side furthest from the station, and as 
there was a little crowd and bustle upon the platform, this 
was effected without notice from the officials. 


QUEEN TE^IPEST. 


79 


“Now, mistress, we’ve started safely,” whispered she, 
as ^e seated herself beside the thickly veiled figure, and 
tried to look as manly as she could. Regina looked at her 
with a smile struggling through the tears that filled her 
eyes. 

“ How droll you look. Topaz!” whispered she. “ That 
black wig makes such a strange contrast with your eyes and 
complexion. You are a very handsome man, Topaz, and 
look a little like my poor, dear papa; for he had black 
hair, you know, and light eyes — not like mine, but a light 
hazel. Perhaps 1 get my blue eyes from my mother- do 
you know whether she had them. Topaz?” 

“ No, missy; I never saw her.” 

“ Nobody at Esperanza ever did, except that odious 
Lefevre, and he once said, when I asked him something 
about her, that it was not a subject upon which he could 
speak to me. What did that mean, I wonder?” And 
Regina, whose secluded life and hauglity reserve with her 
servants had kept her as unconscious of evil and ignorant 
of the world as a baby, pondered this question for a mo- 
ment, then said: 

“ But I will not have Lefevre at Esperanza any longer; 
that I am resolved upon. The first thing I shall do after 
my return will be to dismiss him.” 

“ But perhaps he will not go, missy,” suggested Topaz. 

“ Not go when 1 tell him to!” exclaimed her mistress, 
raising her superb head with the old gesture of command. 
“ When I am at Esperanza again. Topaz, I shall be queen 
again.” 

Topaz was silent. She had not breathed the free air of 
the North for nothing, and although she loved her mistress 
even beyond herself in most matters, an idea was already 
crystallizing in her fervent, untutored mind, which, though 
she might never know it, was long, ago expressed in the 
words: “ Millions for defense, but not a cent for tribute.” 

On sped the train, and Regina, wearied with unaccus- 
tomed exertion, slept upon the shoulder of Topaz, who 
waked and watched with her brilliant, stealthy eyes, noting 
everything that might mean danger, learning everything 
that might conduce to safety, providing refreshments, and 
conducting the business of the journey with a discretion 
and fertility of resource which almost compensated for her 
ignorance and inexperience. 


80 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


Once only she became embarrassed. Arriving in New 
York, and beset by the host of hack-drivers who surround 
the station, she shrunk a little, felt a little bewildered; and 
all the more so that Regina clung to her arm, frightened, 
angry, and impatient. 

“Allow me to help you, sir,’ ^ said a pleasant voice; 
and, turning suddenly, the two girls confronted a gentle- 
man who had sat in the seat behind them, all day, and 
watched their movements with a curious eye — a man in 
middle life, with a well-fed, well-to-do expression, a smil- 
ing face, and prepossessing air. Topaz looked at him at- 
tentively, and decided that he was a person in whom to 
trust. So she said: 

“ Thank you, sir. We want to go to the steamer.” 

“ Yes. What steamer, if I may inquire?” 

“ The ‘ Moro Castle,’ for Havana,” replied Topaz, re- 
membering the lesson J uan had impressed upon her mind. 

“ For Havana? I am bound to Havana myself, and 
shall take great pleasure in giving you any assistance. 
Shall we take a carriage together?” 

“Yes,” whispered Regina. 

And Topaz boldly echoed: 

“ Yes, if you please, sir.” 

So the stranger selected a carriage, directed the driver to 
the “ Moro Castle,” and then asked his new friends if their 
luggage was already attended to. 

“We have none except this bag,” incautiously admitted 



And then correcting herself, she added : 

“ None with us. The rest is sent another way.” 

“ Oh, yes!— by express. Well, then, we will go right 
down to the wharf, unless ” — and the gentleman lowered 
his voice— “ unless you think best to spend the night at a 
hotel. It will be more comfortable, and in case you do 
not wish to meet any visitors to the boat, you will be safer 
from recognition.” 

“ Why should you suppose we fear* recognition, sir?” 
demanded Regina, speaking for the first time, but without 
raising her veil. 

Her new acquaintance glanced at her keenly. 

“I did not presume to say anything of the sort, 
madame,” replied he. “I was only suggesting to your — 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


81 


to this young gentleman, that a hotel might be a more re- 
tired and — 

“ We shall go to the steamboat at once,^^ interrupted 
Regina, in her clear, imperious tones; and the stranger, 
merely bowing his reply, stood aside to allow her to enter 
the carriage. 

“1 hope you will excuse me, madame, if I seemed too 
officious just now,” continued the stranger. “But I 
thought I perceived that you and your—friend seemed a 
little strange to the city, and our ways of traveling, and — ” 

“ Tell the gentleman who we are, Juan,” said Regina, 
leaning back in the carriage, and closing her eyes; and 
Topaz, who had her story by heart, glibly repeated it. 

“lam the Signor Juan Velasquez, a planter of Hayti, 
and this is madame, my wife. We have been making a 
little tour here in the States, and now we wish to visit 
Havana, tipon our return. That is all, sir.” 

“ Ah, yes — 1 see!” replied the stranger, smiling. ‘ ‘ And 
I will introduce myself as John Plumleigh, a merchant of 
Boston, trading with Havana, which city I am about to 
visit for the first time. But as I am something of a 
traveler in other directions, 1 may be able to help you 
somewhat, and shall be most happy to do so, Mr. Velas- 
quez.” 

“ Thank you, Mr. Plumleigh,” replied Topaz, a little 
reluctantly. 

“ Allow me, for instance, to register your names, and 
secure a state-room for you. It is not always pleasant to 
be brought into communication with the ofiicials of the 
boat. ” 

The tone of this suggestion was so meaning that Topaz 
turned her watchful eyes upon Mr. Plumleigh's face, with 
a new suspicion in their glance. He met them smilingly. 

“ 1 do not wish to intrude upon your secrets. Signor 
Velasquez; but I foresee that you will need an experienced 
man to stand your friend, before many hours are over, and 
1 am willing to be that friend, if you and the young lady 
there permit, or, rather, desire it.” 

“ Do you mean, sir — ” began Topaz. 

“ I mean that 1 have penetrated your disguise, my poor 
child!” replied Mr. Plumleigh, with a smile of good- 
humored malice. 


8 ^ 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


CHAPTER XV. 

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. 

“ Elmslee!^’ shouted the conductor. But before Philip 
Douglass could get his companion to her feet the car door 
flew open, and Louisa looked in, saw her brother, and 
rushed toward him, regardless of the stream of outward- 
bound passengers in her path. 

“ Oh, Phil! I’m so glad you’ve come!” exclaimed she 
before she reached him, and as soon as she was at hiS side, 
continued, in a hurried whisper: “Regina has run away, 
Philip — she and that maid of hers; and the worst of all is 
th^t they robbed the house before they went!” 

“ Louisa! What are you talking about?” exclaimed her 
brother, indignantly. Then, recollecting the position, he 
added: “Wait till we are out of this. Mrs. Gaines, this' 
is my sister Louisa, who brings me some news so distress- 
ing that it must excuse our rudeness to our guest.” 

Mrs. Gaines — a little sharp-featured woman with beady 
black eyes, and a pinched, shrewish mouth — smiled placid- 
ly, and murmured: 

“No apologies, pray! I am very sorry, I’m sure.” 
And allowed herself to be escorted from the'car. 

“ I got mamma to come over in the carriage for Mrs. 
Gaines,” pursued Louisa, upon the platform; “for I 
thought likely enough you would want to drive over to 
Nye, -to telegraph or something.” 

“ It was very thoughtful of you, Louisa. You drove the 
ponies over yourself, then?” 

“ Yes. Tom came with mamma.” 

“ Good girl. Stay here till I come back.” 

And Mr. Douglass rapidly led Mrs. Gaines through the 
station, introduced her to his mother, who remained seated 
in the carriage, and then hastened back to Louisa, who, 
whip iu hand, and her cheeks rivaling in color the tan- 
niger’s wing in her hat, paced up and down the platform, 
her eyes fixed upon the ponies, who champed their bits and 
rattled their harness, impatient as herself to be off. 

“ Now, then,” exclaimed Philip, as he put her into the 
wagon, sprung in himself, and restrained the fiery little 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 83 

steeds to a walk; “ let me have the story as briefly as you 
can put it, and then I shall know what to do.'^ 

' “ Very well. The first event was, that the night after 

you left home, some one entered mamma’s room, and, 
taking the keys from under her pillow, opened her desk 
and took out six hundred and fifty dollars, which she had 
drawn from the bank the day before to pay some bills.” 

“ I drew the money for her, and fortunately took the 
numbers of the notes,” interposed Douglass. “ Well?” 

“ Well, mamma thinks it was a man; in fact, she is sure 
it was a man; but the doors and windows were all fastened; 
and, of course, it wasn’t Tom; and I don’t believe it was 
Juan, for he sleeps with Tom; and Tom says when Kitty 
called him to wake, Juan was then in his own bed, asleep, 
and the door was bolted inside, just as Tom left it. So it 
must have been either Regina or Topaz. The next morn- 
ing, when we got up, they were both gone, and the back 
door was unlocked. The two men undertook to watch, 
but they both fell asleep in the kitcheu, and tha girls let 
themselves out quietl}^ I suppose.” 

“ And what did you do?” asked Philip, sharply. 

“ I went over to the station first, and asked Mr. Chap- 
man if they had gone away in the morning train. He said 
no, he was quite sure not; and tjien 1 drove to Nye, and 
asked there, but -they had not been seen; and after that 1 
could do no more, for I did not know what road you would 
take from Stirling to Elmslee, nor where you could be tele- 
graphed to; so 1 had nothing to do but come and meet 
you, and tell you as quickly as 1 could.” 

“You did right, and all that could be done, my dear,” 
said her brother, touching the ponies with the whip, for 
they had already turned toward Kye. “ Regina has set 
out for Cuba.” 

“ Cuba! What — to return home?” 

“ Yes. She was very homesick when 1 went away.” 

“ I thought it might be so, but I did not know what to • 
do, if I had been sure of it. ” 

“ Of course not. I am to blame— no one but me.” 

“ You, Phil?” 

“ Yes; I spoke harshly to her. I forgot how lonely and 
despondent she was. I was severe, harsh,” 

And the muttered self-accusation dropped into silence 
as Philip Douglass urged the ponies forward, and fixed his 


84 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


eyes eagerly upon the telegraph poles rising above the rail- 
way station of Nye. 

Louisa said nothing, but glancing at her brother’s stern 
face and darkening eyes, wondered much in her girlish 
heart why he should be thus deeply moved at what seemed 
to her more occasion for anger than sorrow. 

The station reached, Philip leaped out, hastened into the 
telegraph department, and wrote the following dispatch: 

“ Chief of Police, New York, — Detain a young lady 
called Miss Regina Tempest, taking passage for Havana, 
.on the steamer ‘ Moro Castle,’ to-day, accompanied by 
light mulatto servant called Topaz, perhaps disguised as a 
man. Answer whether such persons can be found. 

“ Philip Douglass, Elmslee, Mass.” 

“ How soon can 1 have an answer from New York?” in- 
quired he of the operator as the message was ticked off. 

“ New York? About an hour, I should suppose.” 

Very well. I will come in at that time.” 

And Mr. Douglass rejoined his sister. 

“ 1 have to wait an hour, Louisa, before I can determine 
what to do, and I do not want to go home until I do know; 
so let us drive about for that time.” 

“ All right, Phil; and you might spend the time in tell- 
ing me all you choose alDout Regina, and how you came 
connected with her and her affairs.” 

So Mr. Douglass communicated to his sister nearly all 
the story which we already know, and so won upon her im- 
pulsive feelings that, as they once again drew rein at Nye 
station, she said: 

“ Bring her back, Phil, and see if I don’t be a sister to 
her — the worst kind. ” 

“Don’t talk slang, you child,” replied Philip, smiling 
however; and then he ran into the station, where the teleg- 
rapher, without a word, handed him the following: 

“ ‘ Moro Castle ’ just sailed. No such persons upon her 
passenger-list. Detained her ten minutes to inquire. 

“ Chief of Police, New York.” 

Mr. Douglass returned to the wagon, reading this bad 
news, and, handing the slip of paper to his sister, remarked, 
in a low voice: 

“ They have either met with some accident on the way. 


QUEEIir TEMPEST. 


86 


or have sailed under feigned names. Topaz was probably 
disguised as a man, and in this disguise entered my mother^s 
chamber to borrow the money. 

“Borrow?” 

“ Yes. I have no doubt Eegina argued that, as I have 
all her funds in my possession^ she might borrow from 
some member of the family, leaving me to repay the debt. 
If she had asked for the money, of course she must have 
explained why she wanted it.” 

“ Well, but, Philip, you don’t mean to say that it was 
right to do so?” asked Louisa, in some bewilderment. 

“ Of course not; but we must never forget how strange 
and irregular Regina’s education has been, and we must 
not judge her like other persons.” 

But even while Mr. Douglass enunciated this mild and 
reasonable theory, his face grew hard and stern, as was its 
fashion when displeased; and at the end of the sentence 
his lips closed so forbiddingly that Louisa, whose eyes were 
quick and memory retentive, judged it best to pursue the 
conversation no further. For Philip Douglass was one of 
those men who, while standing like adamant and iron be- 
tween those whom they protect and the rest of the world, 
reserve the right to punish in private the faults they ex- 
cuse in public, and judge all the more sternly, to the 
ofl’ender, the offense they seem to lightly consider to others. 

“ 1 fancy that girl will hear some plain truths when Phil 
catches her,” was Louisa’s shrewd conjecture as the wagon 
turned into the avenue of Douglassdale; but neither this 
conjecture, nor the story she had heard, nor any remark of 
Philip’s in that connection, passed the young lady’s lips 
even to her mother; for though upon occasions hard and 
cutting as steel, Louisa Douglass’s nature, like steel, was 
true and faithful and reliable, and so her brother knew it. 
Once within the house, Philip asked, as he had omitted to 
do before: 

“ How is Clara, and what does the doctor say now?” 

“ Clara is no better, my son, and the doctor gives no en- 
couragement that she will ever recover her beautiful color,” 
said Mrs. Douglass, sadly. “ The poison that was mixed 
with her cosmetics is something not known in medicine, he 
says, and it seems to have corroded and stained the skin 
so that it can not be removed except by blistering so deeply 
as to leave a frightful scar. Mrs. Gaines and 1 both think 


86 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


that the green stain is preferable to that, and poor Clara 
can only cry and lament without giving any opinion.^' 

“ It is a shame, a wicked shame!’^ exclaimed Philip, in- 
dignantly; and perhaps it was as well for Queen Tempest 
that she was not at that moment within sound of the bitter 
and scornful words that formed themselves within the 
young man’s mind, but remained unspoken. 

“ I should like to see Clara, mother,” said he, at last. 

“ I shall be obliged to leave home again directly. 1 suppose 
Miss Tempest has returned to Cuba, and it is my duty to 
follow her. I promised her father upon his death-bed that 
I would fill his place as well as 1 could, and I can not 
break thaj promise.” 

“ Certainly not, Philip; and yet— poor Clara!” ex- 
claimed Mrs. Douglass, perplexed and distressed. 

‘‘Will you go up and see if Clara will admit me, . 
mother?^’ 

“ Yes, certainly;” and Mrs. Douglass hurried away. 
Her son rang the bell,, and, when Kitty came, sent for 
Juan. 

That gentleman’s gentleman ' appeared, bowing and 
complimentary, but was cut short with the stern com- 
mand : 

“ Mr. Juan, tell me all that you know about Miss Tem- 
pest and Topaz going away, and also about the money 
stolen from my mother’s desk.” 

“ 1 do declare to gracious, Mr. Philip, I don’t know any 
more about that money than the littlest baby that ain’t 
born. I never touched — ” 

“ Come, Juan, I don’t want*any nonsense of that sort. 

I do not suppose you stole it for yourself, but do you know 
who did take it? Y"es or no?” 

“ No, Mr. Philip, I don’t.” 

“ Is that the truth?” 

“ That’s the truth, Mr. Philip.” 

“ You have no suspicion whatever?” 

“ Oh, when we come to ’spicion, Mr. Philip, T don’t 
say.” 

“ Well, then, coming to suspicion, what do you sus- 
pect?” 

“ I think, Mr. Philip, I think that money wasn’t never 
stole at all.” 

“What?” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


87 


“ I have an idea, Mr. Philip— -and as true’s I live and 
breathe, it ain’t nothing but an idea — that that money was 
just took, and never stole at all.” 

“ Took by whom?” impatiently asked Philip. 

“ By Topaz, for Miss Eegina, Mr. Philip; and though it 
wasn’t reg’Iar, yet it wasn’t stealing, for the reason that 
you’re Miss Regina’s guardian, and can put it all back, 
and they’d got to have the money to pay their way.” 

“ Oh, you knew their plans, then, did you, sir? And 
where are they gone?” asked Mr. Douglass, angrily. 

“ Gone to Esperanza, master.” 

“ And you helped them oS?” 

“Yes, master, I did; and I’m all ready for the conse- 
quences. I know you’ll be awful mad with mb, master, 
and most -probably turn me right off; but Miss Regina, 
she’s been my little queen as long as I can remember, most; 
and her father was my dear, good old master; and Topaz, 
she’s the girl I love: and so when them two come asking 
for my help, Mr. Philip, why, how was I going to deny 
it to them just to save my place? I helped them off, sir, 
and I suspicion that Topaz took the money, but I don’t 
know for certain; and you can do jest as. you’ve a mind to 
with me, Mr. Philip, and I ’ll love you and pray for you 
all my days, ’cause you made a free man of me; and I’d 
mind you next to Miss Regina, but she comes first, sir.” 

“ Clara is ready, my son,” said Mrs. Douglass, opening 
the door; and Philip followed her without taking further 
notice of Juan, who crept disconsolately away. 


CHAPTER XVl. 
lovers’ talk. 

Mr. Douglass found his betrothed sitting in a chamber 
so dark that it was with difficulty he made his way across 
it to her side. She was alone, and, stooping over her, he 
was about to greet her with a kiss, when, putting up a 
bandaged hand, she warded off the caress, exclaiming: 

“ No, Philip, you need not; I will spare you that.” 

“ My dear Clara, do you suppose — ” 

“ I don’t suppose; I know.”, 

“ Know what?” 

“ That you are weary of me, and in love with the wretch 


88 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

who contrived this piece of hideous malice, perhaps with 
your connivance. 

Before replying, Mr. Douglass groped his way to the 
window, pulled aside the double curtains, drew up the 
shade, and dashed open the blinds, all in spite of the angry 
remonstrances of Miss Vere, to whom he said: 

“ It is right and reasonable, Clara, that I should see for 
myself the extent of the misfortune which has befallen 
you. Of your insulting accusation 1 take no notice at 
present. Let me see your face, if you please.^’ 

“ Look, then!^^ 

And Clara,, removing the handkerchief she had thrown 
over her head when the light was admitted, showed her 
face, covered with a sort of mask of white linen, through 
which her pale eyes and bloodless lips showed with a 
strange and ghastly efiect, reminding Douglass, in his own 
despite, of a corpse still dressed in the cerements of the 
grave, and galvanized into a factitious life. 

He remained silent and appalled. Clara was the first to 
speak. 

“ Well, Mr. Douglass, are you satisfied, or must 1 tear 
away these bandages and show you the sodden, discolored 
skin beneath? I never shall be other than a hideous mon- 
ster again, and it is your ward and pupil who has made me 
so.'^ 

“ Why do you insist upon that belief, Clara?’^ 

“ It is useless to argue the question; I am sure of it. 

“I can not believe it. Regina is haughty, imperious, 
tyrannical even, but never treacherous or mean — 

“ Mr. Douglass, it would be in better taste for you to 
entertain me in some other manner than by praises of my 
triumphant enemy. 

“lam sorry you insist upon so considering her, Clara; 
but we will speak of her no more — in that connection, at 
least; for it is of her I have to speak in relation to the 
good-bye I must bid you now, my dear.” 

“The good-bye?” 

“ Yes. This misguided child has left this house — ” 

“ After robbing your mother’s desk. Yes, I heard of 
that little circumstance.” 

“ She did not rob my mother’s desk any more than she 
adulterated your cosmetics, Clara; but shehas left the pro- 
tection of this roof, and set out with no companion but her 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


89 


maid to return to Cuba. What i^s my duty as her guard- 
ian and only friend?’^ 

“ To send an officer after her and have her confined in 
a mad-house or penitentiary/^ suggested Miss Vere, bit- 
terly. 

“ Do you think so? I take another view of the matter/^ 
replied Philip, coolly. “ Her father, on his death-bed, 
confided this girl wholly to my charge; and I gave him a 
sacred promise that I would stand to her in place of all 
that she was losing in him. I am her guardian, protector, 
friend — 

“ And lover,^' broke in Clara Vere, impatiently. “ Oh, 
no! I will not so far insult your judgment as to suppose 
you really in love with this half-civilized, violent, murder- 
ous child; but she is a great heiress, and I have nothing. 
You are very wise, Mr. Douglass.^’ 

“ So are not you. Miss Vere; for, however it may be 
with my heart, you are endangering your hold upon my 
respect, and without that, love is worth but very little in 
my opinion.^' 

“ That is my opinion also, Mr. Douglass. And I find it 
impossible to respect a man — 

“ Stop there, Clara, lest you speak words which neither 
of us can ever forget or I pass over. Your accusation, as 
I presume you already feel, is utterly baseless and insult- 
ing. My interest in Regina Tempest is that of a guardian, 
a friend, a brother; and I shall fulfill my duty in those 
characters to the utmost extent. My feelings toward you, 
Clara, I have long ago declared; and having once deliber- 
ately made a statement, I am not in the habit of either 
falsifying it, or of reiterating it unnecessarily, ^ight 
months ago, Clara, 1 told you that I loved yon, and asked 
your promise to become my wife. You gave that promise, 
and 1 now ask you to fulfill it. Will you marry me here 
in this chamber to-day, or to-morrow, or the next day? 
On the fourth I must leave for Cuba.^V 

“ It would be a pardonable revenge, were 1 to take you 
at your word and say Yes,^^ sneered Miss Vere. 

“ It would be no revenge, nor do I understand why you 
should wish to be revenged upon me,'^ replied Philip, 
quietly. “ Do you accept my proposition, Clara?’^ 

“ To marry you to-day, or to-morrow, or next day, and 


90 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


then see you depart to seek — that girl? No, sir; I accept 
no such proposition.^’ 

“ Clara! Clara! why will you treat me in this manner? 
Surely, my patience, my anxiety to assure you of the truth 
and constancy you should never have doubted deserve 
some reward other than sneers and incredulity. Clara, do 
not seek to estrange a heart which has never swerved from 
its allegiance since first it avowed it. ” 

And the young man, insisting upon taking the hand 
Clara would have withdrawn, fixed his eyes almost implor- 
ingly upon hers, which, keen and cold as ice, returned the 
gaze. 

“ And you really wish to marry me still, in spite of my 
deformities, and in spite of Eegina’s wealth and insane 
passion for you?” 

‘ She entertains no such passion ; her wealth is nothing 
to me except a sacred charge; and I have told you too often 
already that I mean what I say, and that I am neither a 
traitor, a liar, nor a hypocrite.” 

“ 1 never called you either of those names.” 

“ You gave them all to me when you thought I wished 
to marry another woman and still made love to you.” 

“ Well, Philip, if 1 was mistaken — But no; I am too 
hideous! I never, never can show my face again! You 
would fly from me in horror! 1 shall go away to some dis- 
tant country and hide myself.” 

“ Nonsense, my dear Clara! I am sorry for you, and 
deeply incensed against whoever has wrought this mischief; 
but as for being terrified — What is the extent of the in- 
jury, after all? Tell me, without exaggeration.” 

“ Why, at first my skin was all green, you know; and 
then the doctor put on something which he thought would 
neutralize the alkaline poison he discovered in my powder, 
and then it turned yellow and brown. And, oh, Philip, it 
is hideous — absolutely hideous! and 1 never can see the 
light of day again!” 

” Why, all the hideousness is, that your sliin has a 
yellowish or brownish tinge, instead of the clear pink and 
white it showed before. Only think, if you had been born 
with a poor complexion, as so many women are, you would 
not in that case have insisted upon hiding yourself in a dis- 
tant country — would you?” 

“ Oh, but this is difierent, Philip!” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


91 


“ Yes, this calls for a little more philosophy, or a little 
more courage, aud a good deal more faith in the true fond- 
ness of your friends, Clara. You have a claim now upon 
my love and tenderness which you never could have had 
while in the pomp and glory of your beauty. Is there no 
consolation in that idea, love?’^ 

“ Yes, if I could only believe you really meant it!^^ 

“ Clara, the greatest risk of injury my love to you has 
ever run lies in the doubt, the suspicion, your words de- 
note. Trust me, my dear; trust me fully, entirely, calm- 
ly, and all will yet be well between us.’^ 

“ I do trust you, Philip! 1 must trust you when you 
give such proof of your sincerity as this proposition that 
we should be married at once.^^ 

“ But why not trust me without proof, Clara? That is 
what I mean by trust, persisted Philip. 

But Clara shook her head. 

“ I never could trust any man — any living creature as 
implicitly as that,^' said she. “I must see some ground 
to establish my faith upon before I build it up. ^ 

“ ‘ Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have be- 
lieved,' " said Philip, solemnly; and involuntarily he had 
recalled the day when he had asked Eegina’s instructions 
concerning the disposal of some matters at Espe'ranza, and 
she had said : 

“ Do not ask me — do not consult me. Whatever you 
think best, is best. I trust you without asking in what.'’ 

“ And she had no reason, such as Clara has, to trust 
me," went on the thought; but even as it shaped itself in 
his mind, Philip threw it olf indignantly and turned again 
to Clara. 

“ Well, dear, do you consent to the immediate mar- 
riage?" 

“ No, not quite that, Philip. The doctor does hold out 
some little hope that my poor face may look better in the 
course of three or four weeks — at any rate as well as it 
ever will look again; and I should not wish to marry with- 
out some preparation. When you return, perhaps." 

“ Very well, dear; this is a question which you shall de- 
cide entirely for yourself. I leave home the third day from 
this, and may be gone three weeks or a month. Shall we 
say a month from to-day?" 




QUEEN" TEMPEST. 


“ Yes, Philip, if you insist. And— you will not bring 
that girl here again?’’ 

“ My dear Clara, my duties to Regina are imperative; 
and I especially promised that she should remain with my 
mother and sister in my own home. And you know it has 
always been decided that we should live at Douglassdale 
after our marriage. I can not turn out my mother, and I 
must live here myself.” 

“ And you will bring that girl and her accomplice here 
to murder me? for they will stop at nothing less!” ex- 
claimed Clara, in an excited voice. 

“ To murder you, foolish girl!” replied Philip, laughing 
aloud, and then kissing the pale and tremulous lips,' show- 
ing themselves through the linen mask. But presently he 
added, more gravely; 

“ No, Clara, there shall be no cause for terror or anxiety 
of that sort on your part in the future. Before Regina or 
Topaz come beneath this roof again, I shall have cleared 
up the mystery of the cosmetics and of the robbery, and 
shall have satisfied myself that no danger exists of a repe- 
tition of such outrages. Once more, Clara, trust me, trust 
me implicitly.” 

He rose, stooped once more to kiss her, and left the 
room. Clara, folding her bandaged hands upon her lap, 
looked after him with a half-contOlnptuous glance, then 
murmured to herself: 

“ ‘ Trust me, trust me ’ — just like a man, that. ‘ Trust 
me, blindfolded; for I am so wise, and so great, and so 
good, that I am worthy of such trust!’ That is what it 
means. No, Philip Douglass; if I hav^e really to live be- 
neath the same roof with that insolent brat and her tiger- 
cat of a slave, I will trust myself, more than you or any one 
else, to look out, not only that she does me no further in- 
jury, but that she gets her pay for what she has already 
done. I am pretty deeply in your debt. Miss Regina Tem- 
pest, and 1 am good at remembering such debts. ” 

In his own chamber Mr. Douglass found everything ar- 
ranged, in the most artistic manner, for his toilet, and 
Juan still busied about the dressing-table. Philip’s brow 
darkened at sight of him, and he said, abruptly: 

“lam going to Cuba by the next steamer, and I shall 
take you with me and leave you there. You can get your 
own clothes and mine ready. ” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


93 


** Going for to leave me there. Mister Philip?'' 

“ Yes. I don't want any one about me who is not fit to 
oe trusted, and you have proved yourself unfit. I left you 
here expecting you to do in my absence as you would if I 
had been present, and you deceived me. I have given you 
your freedom, and 1 shall not take it back; but,l will carry 
you to the place I took you from, and leave you there to 
work out your own salvation as best you can. I have no 
wish to see or hear from you again. " 

And in vain Juan knelt, wept and pleaded. The stern 
face above his only grew sterner and more inflexible, and 
the mulatto's last passionate appeal was met by the hope- 
less answer: 

“ Get up and behave like a man, if you can. I am not 
angry, and I wish you no ill; but you have deceived me, 
and I will never trust you again." 


CHAPTER XVII. 

THE NEWS AT ESPERANZA. 

The “ Moro Castle's ” steam was U23, her bell ringing 
its last warning notes, and her gang- way plank about to be 
hauled in, when two gentlemen, in the livery of the city 
police, were seen running down the wharf, and, reaching 
its end, summoned the captain of the “ Moro Castle," in 
the name of the law, to wait until they had searched his 
boat for certain parties suspected to be on board. The 
captain swore a little, as captains will when forced to 
swerve from their own fashions, but submitting, as even 
captains must, to the majesty of the law, paraded his pas- 
sengers, or, rather, their names, going round to the various 
state-rooms, andi calling upon their occupants to answer the 
roll as it was called. 

Regina and Topaz, under advice of their new friend, had 
not shown themselves since coming on board, and were im- 
patiently waiting in their state-room to feel the motion of 
the boat as it got under way, when a hurried tap at the 
door announced Mr. Plumleigh. Topaz opened the door a 
little, but he, pushing it wider, entered, and closed it be- 
• hind him. 

“ Sir!" exclaimed Queen Tempest, raising her haughty 
eyelids in astonishment. 


94 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


“ Pardon me/’ whispered the intruder. “ But it is 
necessary that I should see you without delay. There are 
officers upon the boat, searchiug for two youDg women, 
one named Miss Regina Tempest, and one her mulatto serv- 
ant. Do not be frightened, do not be surprised into any 
admissions. I will answer for you as friends of my own, 
and you will .merely give your names again as Signor and 
Madame Velasquez. Keep cool, and say as little as possi- 
ble. Here they come. I will go out and speak first to the 
captain.^’ 

A sharp and authoritative tap at the door seconded his 
words, and, opening it, Mr. Plumleigh stepped out. 

“ You know me, captain — John Plumleigh; and the 
young couple in here are the friends whom 1 am accom- 
panying home to Cuba, or, rather, Hayti, where they live 
— Mr. and Mrs. Velasquez.-’^ 

“ Hem! — Mr. and Mrs. Velasquez,’' repeated the cap- 
tain, and both he and the officer cast shrewd glances 
through the open door at the two young people, who, 
seated upon a chair and the edge of the bench, gravely 
nodded, while Topaz replied in Spanish: 

“Yes, Senor Captain, Jose Juan Velasquez and his 
wife.” 

“ Well, I suppose, that’s all right. Come ahead,” Said 
the captain, impatiently, and the search proceeded. 

“ Queer-looking feller, that Velasquez,” said the officer, 
in a meditative tone. 

Mr. Plumleigh was at hand to answer carelessly: 

“Yes; these plantation-bred Creoles are very apt to- 
show a little yellow tinge. Their fathers get over the prej- 
udices of race wonderfully, sometimes.” 

“ Hem! yes, 1 suppose so. You know these people, vou 
say.^”’ 

“ Oh, bless you! yes, as well as 1 know my own father!” 
responded Mr. Plumleigh, cheerfully; and the officer dis- 
missed the lingering suspicion from his mind. 

Ten minutes later the “ Moro Castle ” was steering 
down the harbor, and the disappointed officer was prepar- 
ing his telegraphic answer to Mr. Philip Douglass. 

Three days out of port the fugitives ventured upon deck. 
Mr. Plumleigh joined them at the head of the companion- ‘ 
way, and offered his arm to Regina, who, weak and falter- 
ing from the effects of sea-sickness, accepted it gratefully. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


95 


“ I am so glad to see you again, my dear,’^ murmured 
her new friend, leading her to a secluded seat, and taking 
another close beside her. 

Regina drew a little back, but hastened to discharge the 
debt of gratitude she felt owing to this kind and fatherly 
old gentleman; so she turned one of her most gracious 
smiles upon him, and said: 

“ I feel very much obliged to you, sir, very much, in- 
deed, for your kindness when the officer canie on board. 1 
dare say you saved us an annoying detention! 

“ Pray, don^t mention it — a— Miss Tempest, shall I 
say?’" 

“ Yes, if you please, sir,"" returned Regina, a little more 
reservedly; and Mr. Plumleigh, noticing the reserve, ap- 
plied himself to smooth the slight annoyance it expressed 
at this claim upon the acquaintance of the little queen; 
and so well did he understand the art of ingratiating him- 
self, and of offering confidences without demanding others 
in return — in short, so experienced a man of the world was 
he, and so innocent of the world was she, that before that 
day"s sun set, John Plumleigh had attained the position of 
confidant, adviser and friend of the friendless girl, and 
knew all that he cared to know of her history, plans and 
position. Among the plans the chief was an instant return 
to the plantation, and this Mr. Plumleigh heartily ap- 
proved. 

“That is your home, my dear,"" said he. “And 
although you are so young, your character and education 
singularly fit you for command. You shall rule again at 
Esperanza a true queen, in spite of Mr. Philip Douglass, 
who may be, and I dare say is, a very estimable young 
man, but not fitted to understand the nature and require- 
ments of such a being as yourself."" 

“ Mr. Douglass is personally a very dear friend of mine,"" 
replied Regina, coldly. 

And Mr. Plumleigh hastened to soften downrhis implied 
contempt of that gentlemen’s judgment, and, at the same 
time, modestly to suggest that the experience and 3^ear3 
which Mr. Douglass lacked he could himself supply, and 
that in default of the presence of her dearest friend, Miss 
Tempest could do nothing better than to rely upon her 
nearest one, to wit, John Plumleigh. 

“ And you may be sure that 1 shall set my own business 


96 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


entirely aside, until I have seen you firmly settled at Espe- 
ranza, with the reins in your own hands; for this Doctor 
Lefevre will make you sore trouble at first, I am con- 
vinced,^/ said he in conclusion. 

Doctor Lefevre knows his place, or, if not, it shall be 
taught him,^^ replied Queen Tempest, briefly, and then 
added, in a milder tone: “ But of course, Mr. Plumleigh, 
you will accompany us to Esperanza, and remain there, I 
hope, for a long time, an honored guest. I shall be very 
lonely there, remembering— one who is there no longer.'^ 

Her voice fell, and Mr. Plumleigh took and pressed the 
Vi^hite hand, which neither resented nor evaded the pressure; 
and so the conversation continued, while Topaz looked on, 
a sullen and wary gleam in her yellow eyes; for, in her 
secret heart, she entertained a distrust- of this kind and 
fatherly gentleman, rather augmented than decreased by 
.the extravagant presents The was continually ofiering her. 

The sixth day out, the “ Moro Castle passed its frown- 
ing namesake, and anchored ofi Havana. Among the first 
of the passengers to land were Regina, Topaz, and their 
protector and guardian, John Plumleigh. 

Without waiting in the city for more than a brief re- 
freshment and rest, the three mounted some donkeys hired 
by Topaz, still in her masculine disguise, and left Havana 
at about three o’clock in the afternoon, or as soon as the 
heat of the day was passed, proposing to reach Esperanza 
soon after sunset, the journey occupying from three to four 
hours, ordinarily. 

The limits of the estate were reached without incident, 
and here Topaz, calling a halt, suggested that it might be as 
well, instead of proceeding directly to the house, to call 
first at Aunty Mome’s cabin, and ascertain from her the 
condition of affairs. 

• Regina was inclined to scorn this advice, and proceed 
directly and openly to claim her rights as proprietor and 
mistress, but Mr. Plumleigh sided with Topaz. 

“ We are, in some sort, invading a hostile camp,” said 
he; “ and in any warfare it is always prudent to feel your 
way before discovering your plans. Let us go round by 
Aunty Mome’s, and while Topaz makes inquiries, we will 
rest for a few moments in some pretty spot near by.” 

“ Very well; it makes but little difference,” said Regina, 
briefly. 


<iUEEK TEMPEST. 


97 


And, indeed, since landing upon her native island, and 
approaching her old home, this capricious little sovereign 
had exhibited a strange apathy and indifference to every- 
thing about her, even including her companions, and had 
remained buried in gloomy reverie, except when forced to 
speak, and then making her replies as brief and conclusive 
as possible. Mr. Elumleigh -watched her shrewdly, but 
made no comment upon her mood, although, as has been 
seen, he assumed to himself more the tone and privileges 
of a leader than he had hitherto done. 

Topaz, however, persistently refused to acknowledge the 
authority thus assumed, and whatever Mr. Plumleigh sug- 
gested, she always turned to her mistress for confirmation 
before attending ^o him. It was not, therefore, until 
Regina turned her own mule into the jungly path leading 
to Aunty Mome^s quarters that Topaz made any move- 
ment in that direction; and when Mr. Plumleigh asked 
again, “ Had not you better go forward and make in- 
quiries, Topaz?^' she coolly answered: “If Miss Regina 
wants me to, I suppose she will say 

“ Yes, go, Topaz; we will ride slowly along after you,^^ 
said Regina. 

And Topaz, w^ho rode like a centaur, stuck spurs into 
the side of her frisky mule, and cantered off so rapidly as 
soon to bfr out of sight. 

Then Mr. Plumleigh reined his own steed close to 
Regin a^s, and, laying a hand upon her arm, said, almost 
tenderly: 

“ I am so sorry to see you so sad, my dear. Is it the 
memory of your good father which makes you so?’"’ 

“ That and other things,'^ replied Regina, mournfully. 
“ I do not know — perhaps 1 have done wrong to leave Mr. 
Douglass as I did. He was my guardian, and had a right 
to speak — 

And so she stopped, her drooping head and heavy eyes 
and listless attitude telling the story of a mind ill at ease, 
and a heart far away. 

Mr. Plumleigh eyed her keenly, then slowly said: 

“No, Regina, he had no right to speak to you as he 
did; and he would never have done it but that he loved 
another woman better than you. It is your place now to 
forget him, to scorn him, to rise above -him, and show 
yourself not only free of his control, but fit to control 


98 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


others. Regina, you are at Esperanza again, and you are 
its queen. Forget everything else, and give your heart to 
your kingdom and your people; live here a powerful and 
beloved sovereign, accountable to none — hardly even to the 
law; for what can the law know of you or your actions, ex- 
cept from the report of slaves? You are beautiful; you 
are young; you are wealthy; and you have almost unlim- 
ited power. What more can you want?^^ 

Regina was silent for a moment; then slowly raised her 
face, radiant in its luminous pallor, while her lovely eyes 
became suffused with a passionate moisture. 

“ What more?^’ murmured she. “ Love! I want love!” 

“ Oh, you adorable creature! that is what you never 
need want, for it is always yours while men exist. Regina, 
do not you see that I love you madly, devouringly, insane- 
ly, so that 1 am ready to leave the world and all it contains 
— so dear to me a week ago — and bury myself here at 
Esperanza, with you alone, if you will only let me?” 

“ You!” exclaimed Queen Tempest, a smile, half scorn- 
ful, half pitying, breaking across her face, then melting 
into the dreary passion that before possessed it. “ You!” 
repeated she, absently. “ Oh, no; that is not what 1 
mean at all.” 

“ No; you mean — ” began Mr. Plumleigh, angrily, and 
then checked himself. 

Regina, absorbed in her own thoughts, took no notice of 
the ejaculation; and the two rode on in silence, until, just 
at the edge of the little grove surrounding Aunty Home’s 
cabin, they met Topaz riding rapidly toward them. 

“ Oh, Miss Regina! there’s awful news!” panted she, 
as the two parties met. “ There was nobody at Aunty 
Home’s, and so 1 rode on to old Maria’s cabin— a little 
nearer to the great house, you know — and there I found 
Maria and Jose, and they told me that the doctor had been 
carrying on like mad ever since we went away; and finally 
Aunty Home tried to stop him in some of his deviltry, and 
they both got mad, and she said she’d expose all she knew 
about him, and something, I believe, about your mother. 
Miss Regina; but, anyway, he said he’d soon stop her 
mouth, and he carried her off to the big house this morn- 
ing, and said he’d have her hung to-night, for a warning; 
and all the niggers are saying that if he does, they’ll hang 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 99 

him too; and they’ve got together to-night, and are going 
up there, and there’ll be hot work before morning.” 

“Aha! We will have a share in that hot work. 
Come!” exclaimed Queen Tempest; and striking her mule 
wnartly, she galloped off toward Esperanza. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE QUEEN AT THE HEAD OP THE ARMY. 

The sun had already set, and before the short half mile 
separating the hut of the old negress from the mansion- 
house of Esperanza was passed, the swift darkness of a 
tropical night was closing in. 

But as Queen Tempest, with her suite, came within sight 
of the house, they perceived that the insurgents were kind- 
ling bonfires at some little distance from it, whose lurid 
brilliancy promised to more than compensate for the loss 
of daylight. 

“ Let us stop here and reconnoiter,” suggested Plum- 
leigh. 

And as Regina checked her steed. Topaz did the same; 
and all three sat, for a moment, motionless, upon the very 
spot whence, only three months before, Philip Douglass 
had watched the wild lamentations of the negroes over the 
grave of Colonel Tempest. 

Now these same men were collected, in dark, wavering 
masses, under the trees, and upon the lawn beside the 
house, coming and going, swaying this way and that, in 
the impulsive and objectless manner of a crowd without a 
leader; while the confused hum of voices— now rising in 
angry shouts, and again falling into a hoarse and ominous 
roar, far more dangerous to him whom it threatened — 
rose in waves to the feet of the little party upon the knoll, 
and, flowing past them, rolled on and lost'itself in the 
dense and perfumed darkness of the tropical night. 

The scene was picturesque in the extreme, and, even in 
the height of her aroused feelings, Regina stopped to ad- 
mire and comment upon it. 

“ See how the flame lights up their dusky, oily skins 
and white clothes!” exclaimed she. “ And see their eyes 
flash and their teeth glisten! They are like a nest of 
angry hornets who see the fire kindled to destroy them. 


100 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

aad huddle together to lay a plan for annihilating their 
enemies. 

“ This fire is more likely to destroy the nest than the 
hornets/’ interposed Mr. Plumleigh. “ They will burn 
the house down before they are done with it, unless we can 
prevent.” 

“ I am here, Mr. Plumleigh,” replied Queen Tempest, 
with a proud smile upon her lips; and then she turned 
again to view the scene, before descending upon it. “ How 
dark and threatening the house looks!” exclaimed she. 
“ Every window is shuttered, and the doors barred. How 
that villain within them must be trembling!” 

“ But what is he doing.^ See there!” exclaimed Plum- 
leigh, pointing toward the house, where, through a trap in 
the fiat roof, three figures now appeared — the first a tall, 
gaunt man, at sight of whom both Kegina and Topaz ex- 
claimed, in tones of detestation: 

“ The doctor! It is Monsieur Lefevre!” 

Then followed a woman, her light garments fiuttering 
in the night wind, her arms pinioned behind her, her aged 
liead bowed despairingly upon her breast. This figure, 
like the other, was instantly recognized by the two young 
women, who cried: “ Aunty Mome!” 

“ And that great nigger close behind is Two-fingered 
Tom, the doctor’s own servant, and as big a devil as his 
master!” exclaimed Topaz, as the third figure passed 
through the scuttle, and stood, with his companions, 
clearly revealed in the fierce light of the bonfires. 

At sight of these three, the crowd about the house set 
up a yell of hatred and defiance; and confused cries, both 
in Spanish and English, bid the tyrannical Frenchman be- 
ware of proceeding further in execution of his threat. But 
Dr. Lefevre was at least no coward, and, stepping forward 
to the edge of the roof, he addressed the insurgents in a 
woioe so clear and powerful that most of what he said 
reached the ears of the group upon the knoll, who re- 
mained motionless to listen before entering actively upon 
the scene. Lefevre used the Anglo-Spanish patois most 
commonly spoken upon the Cuban plantations, although 
Colonel Tempest — who was by birth an Englishman, and 
bigoted in favor of his native tongue — had insisted upon 
its being learned and spoken by his house-servants, and 
such of the others as had occasion to address him. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


lOl 

“ What does all this mean, you rascals?’^ politely began 
the speaker. “ How dare you show yourselves in this 
manner? But since you are here, you shall sba the hang- 
ing 1 promised you. This miserable old woman has killed 
more than one of your brothers, sisters, husbands, wives. 
She is a poisoner and a witch. She has the Evil Eye, and 
she deals with Obi, who helps her to work charms and 
spells upon us all. I have caught her at her work, and 
proved her arts. I am a magistrate, and have the right to 
punish such crimes as hers with death; and I am in the 
place of master upon this estate, and, again, hold the right 
of punishment. In this double character 1 have tried this 
old woman, found her guilty, condemned her to be hung, 
and am now about to hang her. If any man among you 
dares lift a finger or a voice against me and my justice 
and my pleasure, he shall share the same fate. There is 
not another white person within miles of this house, and 
you all know what good you would get from complaining 
to the law or the soldiers. Content yourselves, my chil- 
dren — for am not I a father to you?'' 

Before the mingled authority, cajolery, menace and 
irony of this appeal, the untutored negroes stood wavering 
and uncertain. The habit of servile obedience is a fetter 
not easily broken. 

Dr. Lefevre had made himself as much feared as hated 
upon the plantation, and several of the insurgents believed 
in Aunty Home's soyceries, and believed themselves to be 
sufferers thereby. 

Altogether, the insurrection had received a check, and 
when Two-fingered Tom, placing a small rope around the 
old woman's neck, fastened the other end of it to a hook 
inside of the scuttle, and led his unresisting victim forward 
to the edge of the roof, the insurgents offered no other op- 
position than a hoarse murmur compounded of many 
voices, expressing as many emotions, while the swarming 
and restless motion of the crowd showed that, although the 
hornets did not sting, they were far from* pacified. 

But now Queen Tempest woke to action, and, throwing 
aside the enforced calm she had hitherto maintained, she 
gave her spirited mule the rein, and galloped, down the 
steep path so suddenly and so swiftly that her companions 
were left at a considerable distance behind, and she arrived 
quite alone in the midst of the insurgents, who regarded 


102 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


Her at first with incredulous alarm, as some sort of appa- 
rition, and then welcomed her with cries of barbarous de- 
light — crowding about her, kissing her garments, her feet, 
her very mule and his trappings, in their ecstasy. 

But, shaking off this homage with a gesture and a word. 
Queen Tempest rode through her tumultuous vassals, and 
out upon the lawn between them and the house. Here, 
checking her mule, while the vivid light illuminated her 
elegant figure and face of pride and beauty to its minutest 
detail, she raised her right hand in a gesture half of 
menace, half of command, and cried, in a clear, vibrating 
voice: 

“ Doctor Lefevre, 1 am here — Regina Tempest!^' 

At this summons, so assured, so imperious, and so con- 
temptuous, the Frenchman came slowly forward until he 
stood in a line with the condemned and the executioner 
upon the edge of the roof. 

“ You are here, Regina Tempest,^^ echoed he. “ Well, 
then, there is one more to learn the lesson 1 am about to 
teach rebels and insurgents. This woman is to be hung— 

“ She is not! I forbid your touching her again 

“You forbid? You?^^ 

“Yes, I, Regina Tempest, her mistress and yours!’’ 

“ My mistress! ^he good news had not reached me; 
but it explains the willingness of Monsieur Douglass to part 
with you. Wait but a moment, most beautiful, and I will 
welcome you as frankly as you have offered yourself!” 

The odious insult, the infamous double entendre, failed 
to translate itself to Queen Tempest’s pure and unsullied 
mind; but she perceived herself defied, and turned to the 
negroes, now surging up around her, bearing in their midst 
Topaz and Plumleigh, who had become entangled in the 
crowd, and were struggling to reach Regina’s- side. The 
queen turned to her vassals, and, with a regal gesture, 
dashed out her hand toward the house. 

“ Fetch me that man!” cried she; “ or hang him there 
before my eyes!” 

A roar of furious joy replied to her. The uncertainty, 
the timidity, the doubt which Lefevre had so cunningly 
evoked by his harangue, vanished in an instant before the 
presence and the assent of the “ little queen,” as these 
loyal and simple souls still called their youthful mistress; 
and with her to lead them, they once more gave free vent 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


103 


to the cherished revenge and hatred smoldering in every 
breast against this man whose cruelty, debauchery, and 
relentless power had given him a personal enemy in almost 
every man among that furious crowd. 

“ Forward, brave fellows! Tear his prey from his grasp, 
and punish him as he would have murdered her! For- 
ward, and hang him for me from where he stands!^^ 

So cried Regina, her clear, vibrating voice rising above 
the tumult like the thrilling tones of a bugle above the din 
of'war, piercing the senses with a sweet and consuming de- 
light, ecstatic to the verge of anguish. 

To the sound of that voice and those words the blacks 
replied with frenzied shouts and inarticulate cries, rushing 
forward the while in one great seething mass, broken to 
individual atoms as it reached the foot of the white walls 
of E^eranza, and commenced the attack upon them. 

“ Call off your dogs, and we will parley, Regina Tem- 
pest!” shouted Lefevre through the din. 

“Release Mome, and your own life shall be spared!” 
cried Regina. 

“You dare not touch it, at any rate! Call off these 
men!” 

“ Open the doors, release Mome, surrender yourself pris- 
oner, and then we will parley!” replied Regina, haughtily. 

And Lefevre, with a reckless gesture, shouted in return: 

“ Your slaves may open the doors for yoti. As for me, 
I know not how to surrender. As for the witch and mur- 
deress whom you demand, take her. ” 

And with his own hand, Lefevre pushed the bowed fig- 
ure of the old negress so violently forward, that almost 
without a struggle she pitched forward off the roof, and 
hung suspended between heaven and earth. 

“Save her! Cut her down! Save her — save her!” 
cried Regina, urging her mule to a gallop, and reining 
him up close beneath the convulsed and struggling form of 
the unfortunate negress. 

But before the appalled and unruly crowd could inter- 
fere, before, indeed, many of them fully comprehended the 
scene. Topaz leaped to the ground, snatched a knife from 
the hand of one of the insurgents, sprung up the steps of 
the veranda, and climbed with the strength and agility of 
a tiger up one of the rose-twined pillars supporting it; 
from this to the closed blind of a window was but a bound, 


104 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


and, clinging to this blind, climbing by it, sustaining her- 
self with one lithe arm and two active "feet. Topaz reached 
the rope with her knife, severed it, and saw old Mome’s 
lifeless form drop to the roof of the veranda, while above 
her lowered the dark face of Dr. Lefevre, and with the 
rushing in her ears mingled his menacing words: 

“ 1 will pay you for that, my girl^ pay you, debt and 
interest, if I wait ten years first. 

“I have waited more than ten to pay the debt my 
mother owed you, monsieur,’^ panted Topaz, sinking upon 
the roof by the senseless body of her grandmother. 

But now a dozen men stood beside her, a dozen pairs of 
cage]* hands raised her and Mome, and lowered them over 
the edge of the veranda to hands as eager to receive them, 
to cut the rope, and resort to every measure for the recov- 
ery of the almost extinguished*^ life, while Eegina herself 
received her favorite in her arms, and kissed her bloodless 
cheek. 

“ Brave Topaz! I love you for that!^^ cried she, in be- 
stowing the caress. 

And Topaz, throwing herself upon her knees, kissed in 
turn both the dainty hands clinging about her, and whis- 
pered : 

“ And 1 adore you, my little queen 

Dr. Lefevre, meantime, had vanished from the roof, but 
that he had not surrendered was presently proved by the 
fierce and horrible sounds echoing from the passage-way 
within, while the rattling sound of bolts and bars hastily 
withdrawn told that the door was about to be thrown 
open, though not for parley or evacuation. 

“ The hounds! The hounds!’^ yelled the negroes, seized 
with a sudden panic of terror. 

And while they fled tumultuously from the entrance, it 
was thrown wide open, and four of the terrible Spanish 
blood-hounds, still bred in Cuba, darted out, their eyes 
aflame, their dripping jaws wide open. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

THE QUEEN OF THE BLOOD-HOUNDS. 

As the besiegers— for so might Queen Tempest and her 
followers be styled— perceived the terrible meaning of Dr. 
Lefevre’s last move, they naturally shrunk a little back 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


105 


from the direct line of the assault, and while the negroes 
almost to a man rushed headlong in retreat, Mr. Plum- 
leigh, Topaz, and one or two of the brave and more reason- 
able among the insurgents gathered about Regina, who, 
still seated upon her white mule, surveyed the scene with 
flashing and indignant eyes. 

“ Coward!’^ cried she. “ But he shall pay for all I 
Shoot the hounds, some of you! Who has a gun?’^ 

“ I have a pistol,^ ^ replied John Plumleigh, drawing the 
weapon, and hastily firing at the nearest hound, who, hav- 
ing overthrown a fugitive, was already worrying him. 

But as the ball grazed his shoulder, inflicting a tingling 
but not disabling wound, the fierce creature started back 
from his prey, and, with a cry of mingled rage and pain, 
leaped upon his new assailant. 

“ It is II Demonic, the fiercest of them all!’^ hastily ex- 
claimed Regina. “ Kill him, Mr. Plumleigh! Kill him, 
or he will kill you!^^ 

But a man prostrated beneath the weight of a savage 
hound, with his fangs already piercing his flesh, and his 
fetid breath already mingling with his own, is not in a 
position to receive instructions, or to act very intelligently 
in his own defense; nor had Mr. Plumleigh^s peaceful life 
cultivated the quickness and nerve essential for such an 
emergency. 

Still he was a brave man, and powerful to a certain de- 
gree, and struggled vehemently and silently against his 
foe, although his right arm was bent under him, and his 
shoulder bitten through by the horrid fangs grasping at 
his throat. 

“ He will be murdered! Kill the hound, some of you! 
Pedro — Jose — Tomaso! Cowards! will you see my friend 
devoured before your eyes?^’ angrily exclaimed Regina. 

But there is no human agency so terrible to a West In-' 
dian negro as the blood-hounds who have for centuries 
tracked him to his most secret lair, pursued hini with an 
untiring strength almost supernatural, and, having over- 
taken, torn him in fragments, and devoured him with the 
ferocity of demons. 

So Pedro, Jose, and Tomaso, although they did not abso- 
lutely follow their comrades in headlong flight, did nothing 
for the rescue of the unfortunate Plumleigh, except to 


106 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


shout warnings and threats, and rush around the group of 
man and dog in aimless perplexity and distress. 

“ Cowards!^^ cried Queen Tempest again, and springing 
from the saddle, she flew past the frightened negroes, and, 
without pause or precaution, clutched 11 Denionio by the 
throat and dragged him backward with all her strength. 

“Mistress! Queen! Madre di DiosV^ shouted the 
slaves, crowding about their mistress, while Topaz, shriek- 
ing the last ejaculation, pressed before the rest, and fling- 
ing her arms about Regina’s waist, would have dragged 
her away; but wrenching herself free, and flashing one 
glance of angry contempt around the circle of dusky and 
terrified faces. Queen Tempest exclaimed: 

“ Let me alone, every one of you! Cowards, you dared 
not touch him yourselves — now you shall see me!” 

And, with blazing eyes and death-white face, and teeth 
hard clinched beneath the parted lips, the fearless mistress 
of 11 Demonio asserted her supremacy over him, choking 
the breath out of his gasping throat, burying her little 
hands deeper and deeper in his flesh, and never ceasing to 
utter the hissing Spanish commands and threats to which 
he was accustomed to yield. 

Perhaps it was to those familiar phrases uttered in a voice 
of authority — perhaps it was to the contempt of his 
strength, and confidence in her own power, that Regina’s 
tones expressed — perhaps it was an instinct which told him 
that this was his mistress and owner. Certainly it could 
not have been to superior physical force, and yet it is hard 
to say to what else 11 Demonio yielded; but yield he did, 
and growling sullenly, his slavering jaws working convul- 
sively, his bloodshot eyes glaring sullenly upward, the 
ridge of hair along his back-bone bristling upright, he 
suffered himself to be dragged backward, and, crouching 
at Regina’s feet, contented himself with an angry protest 
against -his enforced obedience, and looks fixed upon his 
late victim, which told sufficiently distinctly what he would 
do if he dared. 

“ Bring me a muzzle, a chain, a rope — something to 
fasten him!” panted Regina, still holding the half-subdued 
brute by the back of his neck and by his collar. 

One of the voluble and shame-faced men hastened to 
obey her, and in a few moments a piece of strong rope 
was brought and securely fastened to the collar of II De- 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


107 


moiiio, who, rising at the word of command, stalked sulk- 
ily along beside his mistress, who tied him to one of the 
supports of the veranda before she looked around. 

‘‘ There!” exclaimed she, at last, rising proudly, and 
fixing her brilliant and scornful eyes upon the men beside 
her, “ that is the way to manage dogs and some other 
creatures.” 

Then she turned to Plumleigh, who lay half insensible 
and groaning, while the blood poured from a ragged wound 
in his throat and shoulder. Regina knelt and examined 
it, then rose tremulously, her face even whiter than before. 
The female courage is vulnerable at certain points, and 
not always at really dangerous ones. The sight of blood 
and suffering shocked almost to fainting this girl who 
had just braved a horrible death without shrinking. 

“ Topaz!” murmured she. “ Call some of the women 
back, and let them attend to him.” 

“Yes, mistress; and where will you go? What shall we 
do next?” 

“ I don’t know. If Mr. Douglass were only here,” 
faltered Regina, sinking upon the steps of the veranda. 
But the fugitive crowd which 11 Demonio had scattered 
was already returning in clamorous squads, and converging 
toward their mistress. The sight unnerved her spirits, and 
rising, she turned to them, her hand outstretched toward 
the house. 

“Breakdown the door and bring me out that man!” 
cried §he, the fire of battle flashing once more into the eyes 
but now dim and tearful; and, with a fierce yell the 
negroes rushed past her, swarmed upon the veranda like a 
black cloud, tore at the blinds, the casements, the doors, 
heaved against its bars and bolts, with all the brawny force 
of muscles indurated by toil and stimulated by revenge, 
until at length bar and bolt yielded; and, with a rending,’ 
crackling sound, the great door was forced from its hinges, 
its defenses broken down, and it fell crashing inward. 

For a moment all fell back in a pause of vague but ter- 
rified expectation — much such as a man might feel who 
has rolled away the stone closing the mouth of a wild 
beast’s den, and waits to see what will ensue. Queen 
Tempest herself was the first to break the silence. Step- 
ping carelessly upon the veranda, she turned to say; 

“ Wait here a few moments, my children, and if there 


108 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


is anything left in the house to eat, it shall be given you. 
Topaz, see that some of them bring in Mr. Plumleigh.-’^ 

“But, mistress, the doctor!'^ ejaculated Topaz, hasten- 
ing to her mistress’s side, and beckoning some of the men 
to follow her. 

“ The doctor — yes,” replied Regina, contemptuously. 
“ Let two of the drivers find him, and chase him out of 
the house with their whips.” 

“ But, mistress, he will shoot them!” suggested Topaz. 

“ Then let two more take their places,” returned the 
little queen, with composure. “ Or, stay,” added she; “ I 
have a word to say to that man, and he will not shoot me. 
Find him, and tell me where he is.” 

The slaves dispersed through the house, eager to see their 
hated tyrant brought to justice, although very willing to 
leave the responsibility of punishment in the hands of their 
mistress. Regina, meantime, resuming the languid in- 
difierence of her usual tone, saw that the body of Mr. 
Plumleigh was carefully raised, and brought into the 
house, where it was laid upon one of the bamboo lounges 
in the pearl-and -green drawing-room, while Aunty Mome, 
not yet restored to consciousness, was laid upon a pile of 
soft mats in the hall, and carefully attended to by two or 
three of the negro women, under the superintendence of 
Topax, who with anxious solicitude divided her cares be- 
tween the invalids and her rash and erratic mistress. 

But, indifferent though she chose to appear, the blood 
in Queen Tempest’s veins had not yet subsided from the 
fever-heat to which it had been raised; and as she paced up 
and down the long hall, and in and out of the drawing- 
room, glancing now at the wounded man — wounded in her 
defense — and now at the faithful old slave^ — doomed to 
death for knowing those dark secrets which Regina began 
to suspect might concern herself more than any one else — 
she clinched her hands and muttered: 

“ He shall tell me if he knows about my mother!” 

And again she paced through the rooms with hasty, 
angry tread. At the foot of the staircase she stopped to 
listen, for the voices of the negroes calling to one another 
through the great empty rooms had a tone of promise in 
them, as if the scent lay warm before them, and the quarry 
was well-nigh in sight. 

“He is up there!” muttered she, raising one little 


QUEEIh" TEMPE6T. 109 

clinched hand, as if it held the doom she waited to hurl at 
the convicted traitor. 

“ Yes, missy, he^s there — that was him — the niggers 
haven’t any shoes, you know,” replied Topaz, breathlessly, 
as a stealthy footfall was heard in the hall above. 

The next moment a yell of delight from Tomaso’s lips, 
a rush of pattering bare feet, the slamming of a door, torn 
open the next moment, told that the chase was almost end- 
ed, the quarry all but pulled down. 

“ They have him! they have him!” cried Queen Tem- 
pest, clapping her hands exultantly, while her eyes shone 
with a blue splendor almost intolerable. “ Bring him 
down here, my good fellows— bring him to me!” 

” Yes, mistress,” replied a panting voice above, and then 
at the head of the stairs appeared a group of negroes with 
one pallid, gaunt figure in their midst, his clothes torn, 
his hair disordered, a little stream of blood trickling down 
his face from a scratch upon his forehead, inflicted by 
Tomaso’s too eager grasp. 

“Bring him down, boys!” repeated Queen Tempest, 
fixing her flaming glance upon this repulsive figure. 

But in catching sight of her, in hearing her voice, in 
feeling himself conquered and at her mercy. Dr. Lefevre’s 
sullen submission changed in an instant to active fury; 
and, wrenching himself free from the hands that held 
him, knocking Tomaso to one side and Jose to the other, 
he bounded like a panther down the stairs, striking Regina, 
who threw herself across his path, a light, back-handed 
blow upon the cheek, crossed the hall, and flashed out at 
the open door before any of the men remaining below could 
move a "finger to detain him. 

“ Oh!” exclaimed Regina, raising her hand to her cheek; 
and the brief aspiration condensed such a torrent of rage, 
humiliation, revenge, that Topaz, rushing to her mistress’s 
side, and seizing her garment in her hand, cried, implor- 
ingly: 

“ Don’t curse him, mistress — don’t say any awful words 
about him! and don’t you . dirty your own hands with his 
blood!” 

“ His blood!” echoed Queen Tempest, passionately; 
and, as if the word had suggested an idea, she flew down 
the steps, snatched the knife still lying beside them, and 
flashed it across the rope at which II Demonio was tugging 


110 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


furiously, with short, panting cries that told the frantic 
longing of his dog-heart as well as words could have done. 

“ After him! after him! Take him, sir! Seize himi 
seize him!'^ cried Eegina, almost breathless with rage and 
haste; and, clapping her hands together, she pointed after 
the fugitive, still visible, as he flew across the lawn toward 
the dim woodland skirting it. . 

11 Demonio replied with one fierce yell and started in 
pursuit, while Eegina, turning to the spirited mule still 
held by the boy who had taken him from her, threw her- 
self into the saddle, struck the animal sharply with the flat 
of the knife she still held, and darted forward in the trail 
of man and dog. 

“ Now the Holy Virgin be with us all, for something 
awfuTs going to happen, sure!"' exclaimed Topaz, sinking 
breathlessly upon the steps. 


CHAPTEE XX. 

THE CHASE. 

Never, since the midnight ride of the Wild Huntsman, 
have the moon and stars looked down upon a madder chase 
than this which now befell. 

The flying villain knew too well the terrors of the pur- 
suer at his heels to falter or slacken while life remained or 
motion was possible. The dog treasured, with the tenacity 
of his kind, memory of a blow or kick or curse with 
which the fugitive had imprudently indulged himself, when 
11 Demonio, muzzled and chained, had growled at him in 
passing, and had, moreover, some instinct of allegiance to 
the mistress who had often spoken kindly to him, and who 
had but now shown herself his superior, so that Death him- 
self was likely to turn sooner upon the Frenchman’s track 
than 11 Demonio, and nothing Could be more likely than that 
Death and the hound would arrive together at the termina- 
tion of the chase. But -not II Demonio himself was a 
stancher pursuer than she, the beautiful, furious creature, 
riding so recklessly and so silently behind them all, her 
face white as a corpse, her eyes blazing with blue fire, her 
nostrils distended, her teeth clinched, her hair unbound 
and streaming behind her upon the strong night- wind re- 
dolent of spices and the heavy, sick-sweet of tropical 
night-flowers. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


Ill 


The moon was full and clear, and the light of the bon- 
fires struck in long aisles of flame through the grove, care- 
fully -cleared as it was of undergrowth, so that neither 
darkness nor obstacle impeded the speed of pursuer or pur- 
sued, and II Demonio hardly needed to scent the track of 
his prey, for he kept him in sight or nearly so, as did 
Eegina. 

But beyond the grove lay the negro quarters, and 
hither, strangely enough, Lefeyre chose to lead his pur- 
suers, perhaps trusting to escape among the huts, or 
through the little stream which flowed beside them, per- 
haps counting upon the well-known preference of the 
hound for a black instead of a white quarr3\ 

At any rate, in emerging from the grove, it was toward 
the little village that he turned, and so came upon a scene 
so singular that he almost stopped to look at it, and 
Regina suffered one glai\ce, one thought to swerve from 
the object before her. 

The other three hounds in dashing out of the ho?ise had 
held straight across the lawn, and through the grove, chas- 
ing the terrified negroes, who sought refuge in the trees, 
in the out-buildings, almost in the earth itself, and still did 
not all escape. Most of them who did sought the protec- 
tion of their own houses, guided by the same instinct which 
brings the hare back to her own form at last, although the 
greyhound awaits her there, and spills her blood upon the 
spot where she has chosen to be sacrificed. So did it well- 
nigh fare with the unfortunate negroes, for the dogs, close 
upon their heels, would have been but little checked by the 
walls of cane and doors of wattles, had not one man, imi- 
tating the Curtius of whom he had never heard, thrown 
himself in the breach and saved his countrymen. 

Shouting directions to the rest to keep out of sight, he 
showed himself to the hounds, exciting their direst rage by 
hurling at them such missiles as he could find, and shout- 
ing the derisive defiance which seems so exasperating to 
canine temper. As all three flew upon him, or toward 
him, Curtius retreated backward into the hut near which 
he stood, and which had been constructed a little more 
strongly than the rpst, to serve as a nursery and hospital 
for the quarters. 

“ Shut the door and set a fire against it,^^ shrieked the 
hero, as the three terrible beasts bounded after him into 


112 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


the inclosure, and some quick-witted fellow, seizing the 
idea, rushed forward, slammed the door, secured it, set a 
dozen men to pile cane and brush, the fragments of their 
own huts, anything they could find, against it as fuel, then 
darted upon the roof of the building, and, with the shaip 
little hatchet he carried to use among the cane, hacked a 
hole in the roof, yelling all the time to those below to hand 
him up a rope, a ladder, a pole, whichever they could come 
at first. The long slender stem of a cocoa-tree was passed 
up to him without much delay, and was lowered through 
the hole until the butt rested upon the ground within, 
while the top projected three or four feet through the roof. 
Then this second hero, thrusting his head down into the 
midnight darkness, out of which arose yells, canine and 
human, a fetid smell, groaning and gnashing of teeth, 
called out in his own vernacular: 

“ Brother, are you alive there 

A suffocated and gasping voice answered: 

“ Yes, but they’ve got me down.” 

“ Here’s a pole — climb it!” 

“ I can’t — they have me down!” 

“ Wait till 1 come, then.” 

And hero number two, scrambling down the roof, 
snatched a brand from the fire already blazing at the door, 
scrambled back, reached the hole, lowered himself through 
it, and cautiously down the pole, around which he convul- 
sively clasped the ebony limbs through which he already 
seemed to feel the fangs of the blood-hounds clashing. 

Below him lay a black, writhing, howling, inexti-icable 
mass of something, and, approaching it as nearly as he 
dared, the rescuer began to beat its salient points with his 
blazing brand, yelling all the time the fiercest objurga- 
tions to the enemy, the most urgent appeals to his friend, as: 

“ Now, then, brother! Now, then — oh, you devil right 
out of darkness! take that, and that! Now, brother, climb 
— climb quick! Now, then, take that down your black 
throat-, you hound of — Brother, brother — quick!” 

x\nd in effect so furious was his attack, so formidable 
his weapon, so terrifying the sight and smell of fire, which 
now began to penetrate the building, tliat the hounds, be- 
wildered and doubtful, suffered themselves to be beaten off 
for a minute, and ran howling around the sides of the 
building, smelling at the acrid smoke creeping in thin 


QIJEEH TEMPEST. 118 

wreaths through the walls and under the sill of the light 
structure. 

“ Now, then, brother!^^ gasped number two once more, 
and half by persuasion, half by* main force, he pulled and 
urged the bleeding, fainting Curtius up the laborious path 
he had contrived for him. 

The hounds, perceiving their desertion too late to pre- 
vent it, fled to the foot of the pole, leaped against it, yelled 
defiance, rage, and terror up it, but not being themselves 
contrived for climbing, could not avail of the only means 
of escape left open, and feeling themselves doomed to 
death, began, swan-like, to chant their death-song in a 
series of the most appalling howls and yells^ that ever issued 
from the throat of brute or fiend. 

Marcus Curtius, meantime, convoyed by number two, 
bad emerged upon the roof, and sitting there for a moment, 
while the clouds of flame and smoke surrounding him sug- 
gested the idea of a male suttee, he amused himself by 
shouting derisive taunts at his late victorious adversaries, 
who responded with redoubled yells. 

It was at this moment that Queen Tempest, II Demonio, 
and Dr. Lefevre appeared upon the scene, and the sym- 
pathies both of the brute and the human beings attracted 
by the voices of their kind, all swerved somewhat from the 
line they had hitherto pursued, and faltered a little in their 
speed. 

“ What are you doing here, my children?^’ cried the - 
queen, at last, as she urged her mule toward the spot, 
while the blood-hound — uttering’a sharp, responsive yell to 
the howl of agony just then evolved by a burning brand 
from La Esmeralda, his favorite wife— darted in the same 
direction. 

Honest men, women, and dogs can afford to interest 
themselves in the affairs of others; but your convicted 
rogue has enough to do to look out for himself, and Dr. 
Lefevre wasted very few seconds and hardly a thought upon 
the spectacle. before him, choosing instead to bound stealth- 
ily and swiftly behind a clump of palmettoes, from whence, 
in the same style, he made his way to the deep bed of the 
stream before mentioned, sprung out into the water, and 
crouching below the banks, fled as rapidly and as quietly 
as possible toward the jungly grove from which it issued. 


114 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


unseen and forgotten by II JJemonio, who was dartmg to 
the rescue of his lady dove. 

“Mumbo jumbo!^^ cried Marcus Ourtius, sliding to the 
ground, his hurts forgotten at I his audacity. “Here is 
another of them, coming right upon us!'^ 

And, snatching up a spear of palm-wood tempered by 
fire, he was about to hurl it at the dog, when the clear and 
thrilling tones of the queen^s voice restrained him. 

“ Stop! That dog is my friend,^’ cried she. “ Let no 
one raise a finger toward him!^^ 

And II Demonio was safe, if he would only consent to 
remain so, but forborne moments his resolution seemed to 
tend the other way, and the chances were that he would 
leap into the burning pyre, around which he wildly 
coursed, uttering frantic cries no longer responded to, as 
the beautiful Esmeralda, her sister, and her brother had 
already become no better than roasted blood-hounds — a dish 
not recommended even by M. Blot. 

Some doggish instinct presently revealing this sad truth 
to II Demonio, he gave over his attempts to rescue the liv- 
ing, and applied himself to mourning for the dead, seating 
himself as near as practicable to the pyre, throwing his 
nose into the air, and uttering a series of the most pro- 
longed, hideous, and ear-piercing howls that it is possible 
to imagine. 

While thus piously engaged, the bereaved lover naturally 
forgot his own situation, and one of the servants, at a sign 
from Begina, quietly approached and secured him to a 
neighboring tree until his own attendant should arrive to 
conduct him back to the house. Of his comrades not the 
smallest bone remained, nor did Regina censure either the 
fact or the mode of their death. 

“ It will not need blood-hounds to make you obey your 
queen, my children; will it?’^ asked she of the adoring 
group assembled round the jaded mule upon which she sat 
as if upon a throne, and the clamor of delighted negatives 
and expressions of fealty which rose in reply to this ques- 
tion brought a proud smile to Queen Tempest’s lips, and 
a softer light to her brilliant eyes. 

“ Why should I not live here and be happy with these 
faithful creatures, even though I must pass my life alone 
— all alone?'’ murmured she, riding slowly homeward 
through the dewy wood. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


115 


But, apparently, the prospect aroused no very exuberant 
feelings of delight in the breast of the youthful queen, for, 
as she slipped from the saddle and walked languidly up 
the steps, it was with a face and movement that caused 
Topaz to exclaim: 

“ Oh, Miss Kegina, you^re awful tired and all down, 
somehow; ainT you? Will you let me put you to bed 
now?^’ 

“ How is Mr. Plumleigh?^' asked Regina, briefly. 

“ Oh, he’s doing well enough, missy. They’ve put him 
into the green room, and Aunty Mome has been put in the 
housekeeper’s room; and your own chamber is ready for 
you.” 

“ Then let me go to it; and do be quiet. Topaz,” replied 
the little queen, pettishly; and Topaz obeyed without 
further words. 

But wearied and dispirited though she was, the mistress 
of Esperanza was still at that happy age when a sleepless 
night is almost a thing unknown, and the next morning 
found her fresh, vigorous, and redolent with schemes of 
reform and benevolence. 

“ Every one in Esperanza is to be perfectly happy after 
this. Topaz,” announced she, sipping her chocolate, while 
the maid, now restored to maidenly apparel, put on the 
dainty hose and shoes in which Regina loved to see her 
pretty feet incased. “You are to go round among the 
people and find out what each one wants, and 1 shall give 
it to them. Esperanza is going to be as nearly like para- 
dise as 1 can make it.” 

“ I hope it will be just like paradise for missy, too,” re- 
plied Topaz, smiling a little, as she bent over the boot she 
was buttoning. 

“ Every one is happy when he is good, Topaz,” replied 
the mistress, gravely. “ I heard that in Massachusetts.” 

“ I wonder if Mr. Philip won’t be coming to see us, by 
and by?” suggested Topaz, after a short pause. 

Her mistress raised the chocolate cup to her lips, kt[)t 
it there for an unreasonable length of time, and when she 
put it down, carelessly replied; 

“ Oh, very likely. Perhaps I shall invite him to make 
his wedding-journey here.” 

A tap at the outer door prevented the necessity of the 
reply which Topaz was not anxious to make, and she has- 


116 


QUEEN- TEMPEST. 


tened to open it. The pretty page of former days stood 
without; and, after hearing his message, Topaz returned 
to report it. 

“ Aunty Mome is going home, mistress,^^ said she, “ and 
wants to know if she can see the queen for a minute, first, 
to thank her for all her goodness to her. 

“ DonT, let them call me the queen, Topaz,’’ replied 
Regina, sharply. “ 1 told you that before. Yes; 1 will 
see Aunty Mome; not that I want to be thanked, but that 
I am determined to know that secret about my poor, dear 
mother that Doctor Lefevre wants kept 'concealed, and 
was going to hang Aunty Mome for knowing. Bring her 
in. Topaz, and tell Angelo not to disturb us for any one 
whatever until she goes out. Oh, Topaz, if there is some- 
thing horrible to learn-^something that will make me feel 
myself disgraced! Topaz, do you know what it is?” 

“ No, mistress; but I know there is nothing that could 
be told that would make some folks think less of you. Mr. 
Philip said once that it was only what folks did that—” 

“ Hush! Don’t say Mr. Philip to me again; and go and 
bring Aunty Mome!” commanded Regina; and Topaz 
silently obeyed. 


CHAPTER XXL 

THE GHOST OF THE GREEN CHAMBER. 

“ Secrets, mistress!” exclaimed the old woman in re- 
ply to the eager questioning with which Regina, as soon as 
they were alone, interrupted the expressions of gratitude 
and almost homage Aunty Mome was pouring out at her 
feet — “ secrets, missy! Lord! I knows heaps of ’em.” 

“ But what was Doctor Lefevre so afraid of your telling? 
What do you know about — about my dear mother?” asked 
Regina, in considerable embarrassment. 

” Your mother, missy!” echoed Aunty Mome, lapsing 
into her Anglo-Spanish 'patois', which we translate into an 
equivalent English. “ Well, I don’t know so much about 
her as I do about some other things, maybe.” 

“ But what do you know about her? Tell it to me, all 
of it, every word,” commanded the little queen, im- 
patiently. 

“Well, missy, it’s just this much; The woman that 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


iir 


came over from France with old master to take care of 
you, that was a little baby then, her name was Ooralie, and 
she was a French woman! 

“ A French nurse—yes/^ breathlessly interposed Regina. 

Yes, missy, and a mighty pert one too, for there was 
nothing here good enough for hCr, and she was all the 
time crying after her dear Paris — thaPs the place she came 
from, same as old Uncle Pedro came from the Gold Coast, 
you know.^^ 

“Yes, yes, I know, aunty — go on.^' 

“ Well, missy, Coralie she never liked the doctor, not a 
bit, and they were always quarreling about one thing or 
another. I was here a good deal in those days, for Coralie 
liked to have me help her ip taking care of the little queen, 
and Topaz was here — ” 

“ Is Topaz anything to you. Aunty Mome?^* 

“Yes, mistress, her mammy was my daughter, replied 
the old woman with reserve, 

“ Why, it is strange that 1 never heard of it.*' 

“ I don^t know, mistress; old master never wanted it 
talked about, and so I never told you, and Topaz didn't 
know it herself until the other day. " 

“ Well, go on with the story." 

“ Yes, mistress. One day when I was in the nursery 
with Coralie, the doctor came in, very angry because the 
French woman had told master about his having one of the 
boys whipped for speaking saucy to him; and master, who 
was always kind to the servants himself, didn't like it, and 
said so, and the doctor came to Coralie, tearing mad with 
her for getting him into trouble. But she wasn't fright- 
ened, and just laughed in his face; and then he called her 
bad names; and then she told him to look out, for she could 
tell what would make master shoot him like a dog; and he 
asked what, and she said something about a paper she'd 
got; and he looked as if he'd tear her to pieces, he was 
that angry. Then they began to talk in French, and 
pretty soon he pretended to laugh, and gave her some 
money, and went away out of the room. When he was 
gone, Coralie thought awhile, then shook her head, and 
says to me : 

“ ‘ I'd rather he swore than laughed. I'll speak to the 
colonel, and get back to Franco as soon as ever I can.^ 

“ But that very night, pretty soon after dinner, Coralie 


118 


QUEEN TE>I PEST. 


took sick, awful sick, Just like cholera, though 1 never be- 
lieved that it was cholera ailed her. 1 was with her, sleep- 
ing on the floor, to take care of the little queen if she 
waked in the night. 

“ Was it in this room. Aunty Moine?’^ 

“ No, missy; it was in the green room where the stran- 
ger gentleman is now. Coralie liked that room best, be- 
cause it is coolest in summer. Well, she got very sick 
right off, and when she could speak, after the dreadful 
pain that took her first went off, she said to me: 

“ ‘ Mome, Tm poisoned. That dfevil of a doctor has 
poisoned me for fear Fd tell on him; but Fve got time 
still, 1 guess. Go call the colonel, Mome. Tell him Fve 
got something to say about — ^ 

“Just then the pain took her again, and 1 held her and 
did all I could to help her, though that was not much, 
until at last she was a little easier, and then the first words 
she spoke were, ‘ The colonel,^ and pointed to the door. 

“ So 1 went, but when 1 had raised the latch, still the 
door would not open, and I found it was locked outside! I 
ran back to the bed and told Coralie how it was, and told 
her I’d open the window and holler to the patrol, and have 
him call one of the house-servants, if she said so, but she 
clung hold of my arm, with her poor fingers as cold as if 
they were dead already, and whispered : 

“ ‘ No; there isn’t time. Tell him for me that she was 
not what ho thought; she was a lady, and his wife, 
though — ’ 

“ And that was the last word Coralie spoke, for just then 
the pain came on again, and never left her; but before she 
died she rose right up in her bed and pointed at 'the door 
of the closet in that room and screamed out three times 
“ ‘ Look! look! look!’ and then she fell back dead. 

“ 1 started to support her in my arms, and just as I did 
so I caught sight of something — oh, Jcsu, mistress, I can 
never think of it without the feeling that it’s after me — I 
saw something, missy, that looked like — like — ” 

“ Like what!” demanded Regina, angrily, although 
Aunty Home’s face, of grayish pallor, and wildly rolling 
eyes, bespoke the genuine nature of her terror. 

“ Like you, mistress,” gasped she, at length; and a half 
smile broke over Regina’s startled face as she cried; 

“ Like me? Well, was that so dreadful a sight?” 


QUEEN" TEMPEST. 


119 


“ Yes, mistress — like you, only all wild and wan, as if it 
felt dreadful bad about something; and it stood there, at 
the closet door, wringing its hands and looking over to the 
bed; and then it turned to me and raised its hand, beck- 
oning-like, and then it melted away in the air.'^ 

“ Sancta Maria ejaculated Regina. “ And did you 
follow her, Mome?^^ 

“ How could I follow, missy 

“ Why, into the closet. You say she stood at the door.'' 

“ No, indeed, missy. And what use if I had? It was not 
in the closet I should have looked for it, but in the country 
of shadows, where Ooralie went. She saw it again, I know 
right well." 

“ And did you never look in that closet afterward?" 

“No, missy. 1 don't believe any one ever did, for it 
scared me so that I dropped poor Ooralie, and run to the 
window and hollered with all my might for the patrol to 
come, and let me out. The first 1 knew, somebody grabbed 
my shoulder, and 1, thinking it was Obi himself, was just 
going to fling myself out of the window, when the doctor's 
voice came in my ears like the hissing of a snake in the 
cane-brake. 

“ ‘ Hold your tongue, you fool!' said he; ‘ and listen to 
me.' 

“ Lord, missy! I was so frightened that I was glad even 
to have him near me, and I dropped down on the floor and 
clung hold of his legs, while he asked what was the matter: 
and I told him I'd seen a ghost, though even then I'd sense 
enough not to tell him what it was like, or where I saw if, 
or anything that Ooralie had said. You see, missy, I'd got 
a grudge of my own against Mas'r Doctor, and I wasn’t 
going to let him get hold of anything that might help him, 
though I didn't see how. When I'd told him all I was a 
mind to, he took some snuff, and grinned just like a mon- 
key, he was so pleased that Ooralie was dead; and he walked 
over to the bed and looked at her a minute; and then he 
snapped his fingers in her face, and said something in 
French that seemed to please him mightily; and it seemed 
to me as if I could see the dead woman stir as though she 
wanted to strike him down as low as she was. But he 
didn't see it, or didn't care, and turned to me with a look 
that made me shake all over." 


1^0 QUEEK TEMPEST. 

‘ What did Coralie say before she died?’ asked he, and 
I answered, still shaking and trembling: 

“ ‘ She said she wanted to go back to France.^ 

“ But what else? What message did she leav^e for your 
master?’ asked he. 

“ ‘ Not any message, Mas’r Doctor.’ 

“ ‘ You lie, you old witch!’ says he* ‘ Tell me quick, 
or I’ll cut it out of your black heart with a cowhide.’ 

“‘Oh, Mas’r Doctor,’ says I, tumbling down on the 
floor again, 1 was that scared, ‘ she didn’t say nothing, only 
that she wanted to see master awful bad, and she told me 
to go fetch him, and I went, but the door was locked out- 
side, and I couldn’t get through — ’ 

“ ‘ There’s another lie,’ says ho then; ‘ for I just came 
in through the door, and it wasn’t locked at all. I suppose 
the latch caught, and you didn’t know enough to lift it.’ 

“ ‘ Maybe so, Mas’r. Doctor,’ says I; for I darsn’t go 
against anything he said; and he answers quick: 

“ ‘ It was so, Mome, and that’s all about it; and, now, 
you look out here. Ooralie’s dead, and you are to forget 
her, and everything about her, as quick as ever you can. 
If she did leave any message for Colonel Tempest, or if she 
told you anything about his affairs, you’d ' better throw 
yourself in the fire than repeat it, unless it’s to me. Re- 
collect that I’ve the care of Pepita’s child.’ ” 

“ Who was Pepita?” interposed Regina. 

“ She was my child, missy, and Topaz was her child,” 
replied Aunty Mome, sadly, and then continued: “ So when 
he said that, I knew Well enough what he meant, and 
though I would have given my own life, or Topaz’s life, if 
I could have done old master or the little queen any good, 

I didn’t want to throw them away just for nothing, and so 
I never said a word to master about it; and, after all, what 
had I yet to tell him that would do any good^ If I’d 
known where the papers were that Coralie said she’d got, 
I’d have given them to him; but though 1 looked in all 
her things by day, and Mas’r Doctor searched them all by 
night, when he thought nobody knew it, we didn’t either ’ 
of us ever find them, and perhaps Coralie destroyed them 
herself, or perhaps she never had them.” 

“ Did you look in that closet, Mome?” asked Regina,,.^ 
after a thoughtful pause. 

“ No, missy; I darsn’t; but Mas’r Doctor did, I know. 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


121 


because the housekeeper said she^d lost the key of it otf her 
ring, and I know how he used to prowl round there nights. 

“ And how do you know he did not find the papers?” 

“ Because, missy, when I got mad with him, the other 
day, it Oame into my head to say that I’d found Ooralie^s 
paper that she wanted to show old master, and that I was 
going to send it to the queen and her guardian, Mas’r 
Douglass, and that Jwas what he wanted to hang me for. I 
tell you, missy, he tried hard to find out whether Td really 
got it; and he would have tried the whip, and worse than 
the whip to-night, if the people hadn’t come round the 
house and scared him so that he was going to hang me 
right off, and get rid of me.” 

“ Mome, 1 must have that paper— I must,” said Queen 
Tempest, after a thoughtful pause. 

Mome shook her head. 

“ I don’t know who can give it to you, missy, unless it 
is the lady of the green chamber,” said she. 

” The ghost, do you mean?” 

“ Oh, Jesu, mistress! Yes, it is her I mean.” 

And Aunty Mome, who was a devout convert to Catholi- 
cism, crossed herself and muttered an Ave as she withdrew 
from the presence of her mistress. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

JOH2S’ PLUMLEIGH’S DREAM. 

Mr. Plumleigh’s wound, thanks to good nursing and 
a vigorous constitution, healed rapidly; so much so that 
about a week after its inflictio;i he was able to sit up in an 
invalid’s costume, and eyeu to walk, with the assistance of 
a servant, as far as the ante-chamber, where he received a 
brief visit from his hostess, attended by Topaz. 

This visit, upon Regina’s part, was prompted by several 
motives: one was pure hospitality — a virtue which she 
possessed and exercised right royally whenever opportunity 
offered, and which, in the present instance, was unchecked 
by any remembrance of Mr. Plumleigh’s somewhat over- 
ardent love speeches, which had, indeed, passed like a 
breath from the pure mirror of the young girl’s heart, in 
whose depths another image was already taking form and 
proportion so engrossing as to banish every other thought. 


122 


QUEEN TEMT’EST. 


Still another motive, however, in the mind of Eegina, was 
a desire to approach as nearly as possible to the green 
chamber, the repository, as she had convinced herself, of a 
secret which it behooved her to master at any cost; and she 
had already resolved that as soon as her guest should be 
able to remove, she should place him in another room, and 
subject this one to a thorough and minute search. 

The inquiries that she so anxiously made, therefore, into 
the state of Mr. Plumleigh^s health were not quite so flat- 
tering as that gentleman chose to consider them; and 
when, in reply, he ventured upon some tender speeches, 
hardly restrained by the presence of Topaz, she answered 
him, with an absent smile: 

“ Oh, yes! I am very glad to hear it; and I think by 
to-morrow you can be removed to another room — can you 
not?^^ 

“ Another room? This is. a delightful room, especially 
when it is graced as at present, charming Regina.'^ 

“Yes, but there are others; you shall have the best in 
the house— the drawing-room, if you choose, replied 
Regina, impatiently, and thinking only of the end she 
wished to compass. 

But still Mr. Plunil6igh deceived himself, and seizing 
the hand of the little queen, he pressed it passionately to 
his lips, murmuring phrases of devotion and gallantry, 
which merely struck Regina’s ear as stupid and tiresome, 
without suggesting any real meaning or intention. 

“Yes, thank you! And now I must leave you,’’ said 
she, pulling away her hand with an abruptness that Mr. 
Plumleigh attributed to coquetry, or, at best, to a bashful 
consciousness; and when, a moment later, Regina left the 
room, with only the briefest’ leave-taking, her mature ad- 
mirer remained in a state of the most complacent satisfac- 
tion with himself and his prospects, and wrapped in the 
rosiest dreams of future bliss. 

“ A charming, ripe little plum, just ready to drop into 
my mouth,” soliloquized he. “ Who would have thought, 
John Plumleigh, that at forty-six you would still be irre- 
sistible to a girl of sixteen or seventeen — for she can ‘not 
be older.” 

And John Plumleigh hobbled to a mirror, and regarded 
his somewhat heavy and sensual form <vith much satisfac- 
jjiou. 


QUEEN- TEMPEST. 


123 


“If it wasn't for Mts. P., now/' continued he, “I 
would marry the little thing and her fine estate here, and 
settle down for at least half the year. But, unfortunatel}", 
it is for Mrs. P., and so — we must make it do as well as 
we can, without talking of marriage. Lucky, Miss Begina 
has no father, brother, or even cousin to interfere. As for 
that Douglass — all is, I must arrange matters before he 
writes, sends, or comes, whichever he decides to do. When 
once all is settled between the little girl and me, she will 
be the first to send Douglass to the right-about." 

In dreams and plans of this agreeable nature did Mr. 
Plumleigh pass the remainder of the day, and, with them 
still agreeably filling his mind, did he retire to rest at an 
unusually early hour, assuring his extempore valet that 
by the morrow he should be able to dress and entertain 
himself like a well man. 

Jose bowed, grinned, hoped mas’r would be as strong as 
he expected, and, after seeing his patient snugly in b^ed, 
retired to his own quarters, Mr. Plumleigh preferring to be 
left alone. 

One consequence of the “ early to bed " rule, for persons 
unaccustomed to it, is apt to be an interregnum or interval 
of wakefulness somewhere in the mid-watches of the night, 
during which the patient has ample time to try all the 
specifics foi\ sleep so constantly recommended, such as re- 
peating the multiplication table, counting to a million, 
watching an imaginary flock of sheep leap a supposititious 
wall, etc., etc. Likewise is he apt to review all the troubles 
of his daily life, taking the most hopeless view of each, and 
to recall the causes of otfenso presented by his associates, 
or perhaps the misdoings of his own life. But whatever 
course his thoughts may take, it is very seldom a cheerful 
or wholesome one, and the sleepless hour generally ends in 
a spiteful spring out of bed, and an airy promenade up and 
down the room, varied with glances from each window in 
succession, and muttered remarks not best repeated. 

Mr. Plumleigh had gone to bed too early; Mr. Plumleigh 
waked soon after midnight, and went through the estab- 
lished programme, growing wider and wider awake with 
every new effort to get to sleep, until arriving at “ twelve 
times thirteen are one hundred and fifty-six,'^ he suddenly 
varied the table with the ejaculation, “ Damn!" and tossed 
himself impatiently to the other side of the bed. This 


124 . QFTITIN TE.\rPEST. 

movement brought him with his face to the room, and by 
the dim light of the night-taper burning under a gauze 
screen Mr. Plumleigh beheld a sight which speedily diverted 
his mind from every other thought. The chamber, lofty, 
large, and irregular, was divided about the middle by an 
Indian screen, shutting off the view of the corner diagonal- 
ly opposite to the bed. From behind this screen, as Mr. 
Plumleigh unconsciously fixed his eyes upon it, glided a 
female figure dressed in the white robes Regina constantly 
wore, and moving with the languid and tropical grace 
characterizing her motions. 

“ Regina ejaculated Mr. Plumleigh, half rising. 

The figure made no reply, but gliding on until it reached 
the foot of the bed, stood looking intently at him, while 
the light, now falling fully upon the face, showed Queen 
Tempest’s colorless complexion and noble features. 

“It is Regina!” exclaimed Mr. Plumleigh again, and 
yet there was something so peculiar in the expression and 
manner of his visitor that the ardent phrases that rose to 
his lips remained unsaid, and he still hesitated how to 
speak or act, when the figure, not turning, but keeping its 
eyes fixed upon him, glided slowly backward, until reach- 
ing the screen, it raised its hand, beckoned him to follow, 
and disappeared. 

“By Jove, that’s a challenge to me to follow!” ex- 
claimed Mr. Plumleigh, and springing from' his bed, he 
hastened across the room, and behind the screen. The 
corner of the room hitherto concealed was empty; but a 
door, which Mr. Plumleigh had not before noticed, sug- 
gested a simple explanation of this circumstance; and 
groping his way forward— for the screen shut off most of 
the light from the taper^ — he seized the handle, turned it, 
and found that the door was fastened. 

“ Confound the little minx!” muttered Mr. Plumleigh. 
“ What an audacious defiance! But I will be even with 
her. With such an invitation as this, she can not complain 
if I take her at her word. Look out for yourself after this, 
my little beauty-r- that’s all!” 

And having convinced himself, by two or three fruitless 
attempts upon the door, and several whispered entreaties 
to Regina to open it, that he was not likely to see his 
lovely visitor again, Mr. Plumleigh retired discontentedly 
to bed, and being, in his invalid condition, rather exhausted 


QUEEN’ TEMPEST. 


m 


by the efforts he had made, soon fell asleep, nor woke un- 
til, in the early morning, Jose stood beside the bed, bowing 
and smiling. 

Mr. Plumleigh smiled also, feeling that his visions of the 
night gave him cause for so doing, and suffered the valet 
to dress him, and bring his breakfast, in such an amiable 
and contented manner, that Jose wondered much at the 
soothing effect of convalescence. 

Have you heard from your mistre^ this morning, 
Jose?'' inquired the invalid at last, finding that the ex- 
pected message, summoning him to Miss Tempest’s 
presence, was not delivered. 

“No, mas’r, except Topaz was round just now to ask if 
mas’r was up, and ready to be moved into old master’s 
room. That’s where they’s going to put us, mas’r.” 

“Oh! is that near Miss Tempest’s own room.^” asked 
Mr. Plumleigh, carelessly. 

“Yes, mas’r. The corridor goes right from one to 
t’other. Old master used to go through that way always.,” 

“ H’m! go and ask if 1 can see Miss Tempest this morn- 
ing, Jose.” 

“Yes, mas’r.” 

And the sable Mercury departing, returned presently 
with a message that “ mistress ” would receive Mr. Plum- 
leigh in the drawing-room at once. 

“ The drawing-room? Well, you can help me down 
there, Jose, and l will go directly.” 

So the invalid, leaning upon the arm of his valet, and 
looking rather pale, but still very complacent and eager, 
descended to the drawing-room, and found Eegina seated 
there, with Antonio waving a fan of peacock’s feathers 
around her head. Topaz not being iii attendance. 

The usual compliments passed fluently enough, but Mr. 
Plumleigh found himself a little surprised, and not a little 
annoyed, that all his significant looks, smiles, and tones 
remained unanswered. Miss Tempest, indeed, appearing to 
be buried in a reverie quite disconnected with him, out of 
which she but half roused herself to murmur some polite 
phrases, and to inquire after the health of her guest. 

Mr. Plumleigh resolved to break up this, calm, and 
hurled a firebrand into the enemy’s camp. 

“ I had a very peculiar and a very delightful dream last 


126 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


night, Miss Eegina,’^ said lie, sinking his voice to a tone 
’ of tender meaning, and glancing at Antonio’s stolid face, 

“ Did you?” asked Queen Tempest, languidly. 

“ Yes. It was a charming dream, except that it ended 
too abruptly.” 

Regina made no reply. Lying far back in her chair, her 
dreamy eyes were fixed upon the open window behind Mr. 
Plumleigh, through which she saw a picture of brilliant 
ocean softening into tender sky, with white-sailed ships 
drifting across, and the sunlight glancing and gleaming 
over all. She had forgotten John Plumleigh, when he 
spoke again, and this time still more softly 

“ Shall I dream again to-night, do you think, Regina? 
May I hope?” 

“ Dream again to-night?” echoed Regina, half hearing 
him. “ Oh, yes, I suppose so. It is very sweet to dream 
sometimes — is it not? 1 dream also.” 

And a tremulous and mysterious smile crossed the lips 
of the young girl, and softened her dewy eyes. 

“You dream too? Oh, you bewitching creature! How 
can 1 ever thank you or love you enough?” 

“ Eh, what?” and Queen Tempest, withdrawing her 
eyes from the far horizon, fixed them somewhat indignantly 
upon the flushed face of her mature lover. 

Mr. Plumleigh glanced at Antonio and smiled sarcas- 
tically. He thought that Regina was acting for the benefit 
of her little page. 

“ Pardon me. Miss Tempest; 1 was remarking that you 
looked uncommonly well this morning,” said he, coolly. 
“ But 1 asked to see you in reference to a desire you ex- 
pressed yesterday to remove me to another apartment. I 
hope you will do so as soon as you find it convenient.” 

“You are well enough, then, to bear the fatigue?” asked 
Regina, with more animation than she had yet shown. 

“ Quite. My only anxiety is lest the dreams of which I 
spoke as so delightful may not haunt my new room as they 
do my present one. ” 

“ What are these delightful dreams, then?” demanded 
Regina, a little scornfully. 

Mr. Plumleigh, 'instead of replying, looked steadily into 
her eyes, and asked: 

“ May Antonio bring me a rose from the garden?” 

The page sped away, and as soon as he Was gone, Mr. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


12 ? 


Plumleigh, seizing Kegina^s hand, pressed it rapturously 
to his lips, and murmured: 

“ Most charming of coquettes, dare you ask of what 1 
dreamed?’^ 

“ Mr. Plumleigh! Let go my hand, sir, if you please, 
and do not make yourself ridiculous and disagreeable. 
Good-morning, sir. ’^ 

And Queen Tempest, with her queenliest air, rose to 
leave the room. 

Mr. Plumleigh, feeling himself aggrieved, and a little 
out of patience, rose also, and said, with a forced laugh: 

“ Your manner is not what it was when we last met, my 
dear. But, patience — 1 may dream again to-night. 

“ What do you mean by this eternal reference to your 
dreams, Mr. Plumleigh? Of what did you dream?^' 

“ I dreamed, Regina, that a very beautiful, very fasci- 
nating, and very provoking little creature came into my 
chamber last night; and when I wished to welcome her, 
ran away and escaped through the door at the end of the 
room.^^ 

“ What! You saw — Did she look like me?'^ asked 
Regina, breathlessly, and catching Mr. Plumleigh by the 
arm. 

“Most remarkably like you, my dear,^^ replied that 
gentleman, smiling in a disagreeable fashion. 

“And you saw her? I wonder if I could? 1 shall sleep 
in that room myself to-night! I will see it too!^^ 

“ You will sleep in that room!’^ whispered Mr. Plum- 
leigh, who had but half caught the muttered words. 

“ Yes, and all alone !^’ replied Regina, in a mysterious 
tone; ’and just then Antonio returned with the rose, and 
Mr. Plumleigh took his leave, with another ugly smile. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

WHERE IS TOPAZ? 

“ THE'little wretch! To pretend such unconscious inno- 
cence, and such virtuous indignation, for the benefit of the 
little nigger, and then to end by making a deliberate ap- 
pointment! Phew! I always heard these creole women 
wore the very devil and all at an intrigue, and I believe it 
now!'' 


m 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


So muttered John Plumleigh, wise in his own conceit, 
as he sauntered up and down the long veranda, and mused 
upon the charming conquest. 

Regina, meantime, had returned to her own room, where 
sat Topaz, busy at some delicate needle-work. 

“lam going to sleep in the green chamber to-night, 
Topaz, announced her mistress, abruptly.) 

The maid looked up inquiringly, but only replied, with 
her usual submission : 

“ Yes, mistress. Shall I have the beds made?'' 

“ The bed. You will stay in this room." 

“ Oh, Miss Regina! Will you sleep there all alone'?" 

“Yes. Why not?" 

“ Oh, mistress! they say — all the chamber-maids and 
everybody says that — " 

“"Well, what, you silly creature?" 

“ They do say that the green chamber is haunted," 
panted Topaz, casting a stealthy and feline look about her. 

“ Do they? Did you ever see — What do they say 
haunts it?" 

“ I don't know, mistress. Nobody ever saw it that I 
heard of; but Aunty Home says so too, and she knows all 
about the house." 

“ Well, I shall sleep there to-night. Topaz. ^So, see that 
the room is ready.'’ 

“ Y^es, mistress. Mr. Plumleigh is going to be moved 
down-stairs, Nita told me. I wonder, mistress, if ever he 
saw anything in that room?" 

But Regina did not trouble herself to reply to this 
“ feeler," and Topaz did not venture to attempt another. 
Jn fact, since returning to the spot where these two young 
girls had grown up together — the one as queen and the 
other as slave — they had resumed, in a great degree, those 
relations which a mutual exile, and the downfall of Queen 
Tempest's pretensions to sovereignty, had interrupted while 
in New England. 

But if Topaz did not speak, she thought, and somewhat 
after this wise: 

“ What can she be going to do all alone in that room? 
And I wonder if that's what she had Mr. Plumleigh moved 
out for? And I wonder it he knows? If he set her to 
thinking of it, there’s mischief in it — the great fat pijg, 
with his pale eyes, and his nods and winks to the maid 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


129 


when the mistress isiiH by. I wonder if Aunty Home told 
her anything about that room? FlI go down and tell her 
that missy is going to sleep there. She^ll know if it’s very 
bad; and if she’s a mind to, she can come and talk to 
missy about it. Yes, I’ll tell Aunty Mome, and see what 
she thinks.” * 

In pursuance of this determination. Topaz, having seen 
her beautiful mistress disposed for her luxurious noon-day 
siesta f stole softly out of the shaded room, and with no 
covering upon her head or protection from the sun, crept 
down the steps and along the garden, path, whose white 
sand struck up a blinding glare, while all the air quivered' 
and throbbed with the intensity of the heat. 

But 'J^opaz, child of the sun, loved her father, and 
basked in his fierce smiles, seeming, as she glided sinuously 
along the path, ’like one of those gorgeous tropical ser- 
pe)its, the breath of whose life is a heat which withers and 
devours all other existence, but only warms their blood to 
its richest and most ecstatic condition. 

Perhaps Topaz herself had some perception of her pecul- 
iarities in this respect, for, raising her face to the sky, she 
fixed her strange eyes upon the sun until her pupils con- 
tracted to a mere point, and the irises glowed and glistened 
like molten gold beneath his direct rays, 

“ Oh, I love you! I love you, you glorious sun!” mur- 
mured she, smiling as if into the face of a lover, and so 
passed on beneath the trees whose shadows paled and fled 
before her glowing presence. 

“ Going to sleep in the green chamber, child!” ex- 
claimed Aunty Mome, when she had heard her grand- 
daughter’s report, and her wrinkled face grew disturbed 
and thoughtful. “ And all alone too! She hadn’t ought 
to, Topaz—she hadn’t ought to. Maybe it’ll be more 
than she can stand.” 

“ What will be. Aunty Mome?” 

“ Never mind, child. But I know what she’s going 
there to see, and she’ll see it too; but maybe it’ll be too 
much for her. Tell her— No, don’t tell her anything; 
but I’ll come up after dark, and I’ll be near her in the 
night; and if she’s scared. I’ll take care of her.” 

“ Why not me. Aunty Mome? It’s my place.” 

“ Yes; but, child, you see 1 know and you don’t know, 
and I’ve been there before, and 1 know what it comes 
5 ^ 


130 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

after, if it comes, and I^m the one that had ought to be 
near her, poor child, and I will. Don’t you say anything, 
Topaz; but ITl be there.” 

“ Well, aunty, if you’re so positive, I won’t go against 
you; but it seems as if 1 ought to be the one that’s near 
my own mistress, if she’s going into trouble,” said Topaz, 
discontentedly, as she stepped out of the hut and stood in 
the fervid sunlight, herself its gorgeous embodiment. 

Aunty Mome looked at her a moment, then turned 
away, muttering: 

“ Pepita wasn’t , as handsome as that, and she was too 
handsome for her own good. ’Fore you takes care of 
somebody else, you’d better take care of yourse’f. Topaz.” 

The waiting-maid laughed a little consciously, and 
sauntered back toward the house, dreaming of Juan. 

Suddenly from the jungle bordering her path in its lone- 
liest section leaped the powerful and agile figure of a 
man, who, seizing her from behind, rapidly twisted a thick 
shawl about her head and neck, raised her lightly in his 
arms, and bore her into the jungle. 

“ Why does not Topaz come?” demanded Regina again 
and again, and Antonio patiently replied as often: 

“ Don’t know, mistress; and old Mome don’t know, and 
nobody don’t know.” — 

At last Regina summoned the housekeeper and old 
Columbus, the white-headed major-domo of Esperanza. 
To them she said: 

“ Topaz went from here to Aunty Home’s cabin while 1 
was taking my siesta; she does not come back, and she is 
not there; let her be found at once; use every man, woman 
and child upon the plantation, but find her, and do it 
speedily.” 

“ Yes, mistress,” replied the slaves, in a breath; but, 
at the end of two hours. Topaz had not appeared, and her 
mistress was both anxious and angry. 

Neither emotion was, however, powerful enough to dis- 
turb her determination to sleep in the green chamber, and 
Aunty Bee, the housekeeper, received orders to prepare it, 
in the same breath which promised that, if Topaz was not 
forthcoming in the morning, both she and Columbus 
should go into the field to work, and sleep in the slave 
quarters, • 


QTJEKN TEMPEST. 131 

“ mistress/' replied Bee, submissively, and was re- 
treating when Eegina recalled her with the order: 

“ Send for Aunty Mome."- 

“ She's here, mistress." 

“ Here? Why didn't you tell me that before?" 

“ She don't know nothing about Topaz, mistress, and I 
thought mistress wouldn't want to see her." 

• " You thought! Go and bring her in directly." 

And Aunty Bee gladly retreated from the room, when 
Home presently appeared in her stead. But to all of 
Regina's eager questioning, the old woman could give no 
other answer than that Topaz had left her cabin to return 
home, about the middle of the afternoon, and had not been 
seen since. This said, old Mome hesitated for a moment, 
and then preferred her request to remain with Regina for 
the night, herself, in place of the missing maid. But, with 
a slight smile. Queen Tempest declined the proffered serv- 
ice, and would have dismissed the old woman, who, after 
another hesitating pause, approached, and mysteriously 
whispered : 

“ Topaz said mistress was going to sleep in the green 
chamber to-night." 

“ Well, what of it?" asked Regina, sharply. 

“ Mistress will let old Mome sleep there too; won't she?" 

“ No. I shall sleep there entirely alone, aunty." 

“Oh, mistress, no! Mistress does not know — she will 
be so frightened. Oh, mistress, do not do it!" 

But Queen Tempest was not to be turned aside by the 
most piteous entreaties, and the promise of danger and ter- 
ror only nerved her to greater daring. She listened with 
a patience wonderful for her to all that the old negress 
could say, but at the end of all, she shook her head and 
said: 

“ I am resolved, Mome, and nothing can change me. 
I shall sleep in the green chamber to-night, and I shall 
sleep there alone; and 1 will not have you even in the 
anteroom. I shall be very angry if you or any one in- 
trudes upon me, for I want to be all alone." 

So Mome withdrew, with words of submission upon her 
lips, and a very strong determination in her heart not to 
submit at all. She did not, however, take Aunty Bee or 
any one else into her confidence, and, in fact, took especial 
pains to bid the upper servants good-night, and let them 


18^ QUEEN TEMPE^^t. 

see her going away from the house in the (iire(^tion of her 
own. 

In the evening Miss Tempest received a short call from 
Mr. Plumleigh, but she was so evidently^i??>ifr^riYe and in- 
different to his presence, and kept Antonio so close beside 
her, that the gentleman soon retired in disgust, muttering 
some remarks upon caprice and coquetry, neither compli- 
mentary nor respectful to his hostess. 

But Kegina did not hear, or did not heed them, and so 
soon as she was alone, summoned Aunty Bee to carry her 
toilet apparatus and a candle to the green chamber, and to 
help her in undressing. The housekeeper was forced to 
obey, but it was with chattering teeth and eyes rolling 
with terror. 

“ Lors, mistress, the bolt on this door is done gone 
broke, and the lock won^t go, ^cause the key ain’t here,” 
stammered she, examining the door as they entered. 

“ How came they so. Bee?” 

“ Dunno, mistress. It wasn’t so when the strange gen- 
tleman had the room.” 

“ Never mind. Bee. I don’t want to fasten the door, 
for 1 might wish to call for some one: but mind, no one is 
to come in unless I do call.” 

“No, mistress.” 

“ Well, there then, 'take down my hair and braid it, and 
take off my dress. Oh, dear! where is Topaz?” 

“ Dunno, mistress,” replied Bee, stolidly; and in a little 
while Eegina pettishly ordered her to withdraw, and let her 
do the rest herself. 

Bee, delighted to escape from the haunted chamber, 
obeyed with great alacrity, and her mistress, with a smile 
of contemptuous amusement, closed the door behind her, 
and hastily completing her toilet for the night, knelt and 
breathed a fervent prayer, then lay down in the great bed, 
leaving the candle burning behind its gauze shade. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

REGINA’S DREAM. 

Impatient to enter upon her mysterious enterprise, 
Regina retired at an unusually early hour, and her ex- 
ample being followed by the servants, the house was dark 
and silent long before midnight; so dark and so silent that 


QUEEIf TEMl>EST. 


18 ^ 

Mr. Flumleigh, who, for some reason, did not sleep at all, 
whispered to himself, as he softly paced down the corridor 
between his bed-chamber and the great hall, that it was 
‘‘ a little pokerish, a little trying, even though a man did 
not believe in ghosts, and all that — still it wasn’t pleasant 
to have it so deuced black and solemn.” 

Queen Tempest also rested but poorly, her first light 
sleep being broken by dreams, from which she suddenly 
waked with a start, sure that some one was bending over 
and caressing her. But although she w^as certain that a 
kiss had been lightly pressed upon her forehead, and 
although equally certain that a soft sigh had met her wak- 
ing ear, nothing was visible through the room as she 
eagerly inspected it. Throwing herself back upon the pil- 
lows, she long lay watching, but at last slept again, and 
this time was aroused by a voice distinctly saying in her 
ear: 

“ Under the Indian chest, in the middle.” 

Starting up in bed, Begina eagerly looked about her, and 
half saw a flitting white figure passing behind the screen 
at the other end of the room. 

Springing from her bed, she pursued it, but found noth- 
ing except the door of the locked closet. 

“ That shall be opened to-morrow; but the Indian chest 
— I do not know of any,” muttered she, slowly retiring to 
her bed. 

Again she slept, and again was wakened, this time by a 
face close to her own, and kisses not to be mistaken or 
evaded pressed upon her lips, and cheeks, and neck, while 
a thick voice murmured: 

“ Oh, my little beauty! My glorious, charming queen!” 

“ What — who — why, who is this?” gasped Regina, start- 
ing up, too confused in her sudden waking to really know 
what had befallen, until a great hand was laid upon her 
mouth, while the same voice hissed in her ears: 

“ Hush — hush, my pretty one! You will wake the 
servants, and there is no need of keeping up the farce wiih 
me, you know. Be reasonable, my dear child. Did not yon 
ask me to come?” 

“ Mr. Plumleigh — is it possible, sir? What does this 
mean? Leave the room this instant, and do not compel 
me to disgrace myself by calling for help! Leave the room, 
I say, this instant!” 


134 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ Oh, no, my pretty one! you never will be so cruel, 
when you know how I love you. You shall be my charm- 
ing little wife, and— 

But, at this moment, a black and bony hand suddenly 
extended itself from beneath the bed, and seized Mr. Plum- 
leigh by the ankle so sharply and so dexterously that he 
staggered, stumbled, and finally fell to the ground with a 
yell of horror and dismay, echoed by the shrieks of Regina, 
who only comprehended that yet another intruder was hid- 
den beneath the bed, whether to assist or defeat the designs 
of her insulting wooer, she had no means of judging. 

In the midst of this confusion, a loud knock upon the 
door of the ante-chamber resounded above the other noises, 
and the next moment the door was dashed open, and 
through the twilight of the place, Regina beheld a familiar 
form standing in the opening, as if hesitating to intrude, 
even in such extremity. 

Uttering a cry, half of delight, half of shame, the young 
girl drew the draperies of her couch above her head, and 
lay trembling and almost fainting; while Philip Douglass, 
after that moment of hesitation, launched himself like a 
thunder-bolt upon the hoary libertine writhing upon the 
floor, beneath the vigorous assault of the shadowy, black 
figure, which attacked him with teeth, nails, and head, but 
without uttering a syllable. 

Douglass did not wait to determine whether this black 
avenger were man or fiend, for he had already heard of 
Plumleigh’s presence at Esperanza, and at a glance under- 
stood the whole story of his present position. 

That glance was sufficient to arouse the slow, deep wrath 
of his nature, a wrath as hard to satisfy as it was to rouse, 
and so overpowering, while its first heat endured, that 
Douglass himself dreaded and avoided, so far as possible, 
any just cause for awaking it. 

But now the cause had come, and while his face turned 
pale as ashes, and his gray eyes blazed white with rage, the 
young man threw himself upon the villain, dragged him to 
his feet, and into the ante-chamber, and there, holding him 
up with one hand, he inflicted such furious and determined 
punishment upon his head, face, and neck that the un- 
happy wretch, who had, at first, made some faint show of 
resistance, w^as at last fain to fall upon his knees and pite- 
ously beg for mercy. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


m 

This mercy came at last, for Douglass, setting open tlie 
door, spurned his victim out of it with foot and hand, leav - 
ing him to crawl back as best he might to his chamber, 
there to collect some portion of his belongings, and with 
the first gleam of daylight to remove himself and them 
from Esperanza. 

Having thus ejected the serpent from the dove’s nest, 
Douglass stood for a moment to recover his breath; and 
then remembering the black figure he had seen upon the 
floor with Plumleigh, he approached the door of the cham- 
ber and coldly inquired: 

. “ Do you need any further assistance, Eegina?” 

“ Oh, Mas’r Douglass, is that you?” replied a voice. 
” The poor child, she’s almost frightened to death; but 
she’s safe enough. Come, speak to her, Mas’r Douglass.” 

With the same reluctance he had before shown in ap- 
proaching the door of the young girl’s chamber, Douglass 
now stood upon the threshold, and glancing toward the 
bed, distinguished the grotesque figure of Aunty Mome 
seated among the white draperies, and holding Regina ten-v 
derly to her bosom, where the poor child, utterly overcome, 
clung, sobbing hysterically. 

“ Speak to her, mas’r,” said Mome, half reproachfully, 
as Douglass stood, stern and silent, looking across the 
room, and showing no intention of advancing into it. 

“ Can I do anything more for you. Miss Tempest?” 
asked he, thus admonished. 

“ Tell him to go away, aunty. He is cruel, and hard, 
and hateful. Tell him to go,” sobbed Regina. 

“ I will go without telling. Miss Tempest, and leave it 
to yourself to consider the justice or propriety of such re- 
proaches at such a moment.” 

And, with this bitter comfort, he turned, and, leaving 
the room, went back to his own, and completing his toilet, 
seated himself, with open doors, to await the daylight. 

His opportune presence, and Regina’s ignorance of it, 
although singular, is easily explained. The ” Columbia,” 
with fair winds and favoring tides, had made so unusually 
good a trip as to arrive at Havana nearly two days before 
expected; and Douglass, too impatient to wait for daylight 
before ascertaining Regina’s present position, had taken a 
horse and ridden directly to Esperanza, arriving there after 
every one had retired to their early slumbers. Wishing to 


136 




^UEEN TEMPEST. 

acquire some knowledge of the condition of affairs before 
making his presence known, Douglass rode round to the 
stables, and, wakening one of the grooms, saw his- horse 
put up, and then, with the man as guide, made his way to 
the window of the housekeeper’s bedroom, and cautiously 
routing her, gained admittance to the house, and while 
partaking of the refreshments she insisted upon placing be- 
fore him, plied the willing old aunty with questions so well 
devised for arriving at the desired point, that before Doug- 
lass had finished his supper, he had gained a very sufficient 
idea of the manner of Miss Tempest’s return home, the 
company she had brought, and the manner in which mat- 
ters had since been conducted. 

As he listened his brow grew dark and his manner full 
of suppressed irritation; and when Aunty Bee, in conclu- 
sion, said, half inquiringly, “ Somehow, Mas’r Douglass, it 
don’t seem as though this Mas’r Plumleigh had got any 
call to stop any longer at ’Speranza,” Douglass pushed 
back his chair, and muttered, only half aloud. “High 
time that 1 came — high time indeed!” 

“ So I think, Mas’r Douglass,” replied the housekeeper, 
emphatically; but Douglass, without encouraging her to 
further expression of opinion, asked to be shown at once to 
a bedroom, and directed that no one should know of his 
arrival until the next morning. 

While spreading his bed. Aunty Bee mentioned Kegina’s 
whim of spending the night in the green chamber, and 
shaking her head, half whispered: 

“ I wouldn’t have let her if I could help it, mas’r. 
They’re dreadful spiteful sometimes.” 

- “ Who are spiteful. Aunty Bee?” asked Douglass, half 
smiling at the woman’s tone. 

“ The spirits, master. The green chamber has been 
haunted ever since that Ooralie died there.” 

“Who was Coralie?” inquired Douglass; and then fol- ’ 
lowed the history of the French nurse, already told by 
Mome to her young mistress, except that Bee, having 
gathered it from hearsay, could only give an outline, when 
Mome was able to fill in the whole picture. 

The story done, and the chamber in order. Bee retired, 
and our hero laid down to rest but not to sleep; for anger. 
Impatience, and suspicion are but poor opiates. At last, 
however, nature claimed her dues, and Douglass fell into a 


QUEEN’ TEMPEST. 


lot 

light slumber, from which he was roused by Kegina^s 
shriek and the cries of her assailant as he encountered 
Aunty Home, who, denied all open share in her mistress's 
dangerous enterprise, had concealed herself beneath the 
bed, determined to be preseut, at any rate, should the 
spirits assault her beloved little queen. 

Through the open door of his chamber, Douglass com- 
manded a view of a portion of the great ball and the stuii-- 
case, and thus, himself unseen, witnessed Mr. Plnmleigh's 
stealthy exit and the removal of his luggage. A grim 
smile passed over his face as he noticed the elaborate cau- 
tion with which all these movements were conducted, and 
satisfied with seeing the enemy effectually routed, Douglass 
generously refrained from triumph, and allowed him to 
suppose his flight unheard and unseen. 

When this was over, the young man indulged in a little 
rest, a bath, and light breakfast, and then summoning 
Antonio, he sent to request an interview with Miss Tem- 
pest. 

Five minutes later the boy returned, looking both scared 
and puzzled, to say: 

“ Missy done gone, mas'r." 

“ Gone where?" 

“ Don't know, mas'r." 

“ Where is Mome?" 

“ Gone, mas'r." 

“ And Topaz?" 

“ Topaz gone since yesterday, mas'r." 

“ Send Aunty Bee to me, then. " 

But neither Bee, nor Columbus, nor Juan, who had 
arrived in the earliest morning, nor any other of the num- 
erous retainers of Esperanza, eould give the slightest in- 
formation as to the movements of their mistress. Mome 
was at last discovered, returning to her own cabin from the 
negro quarters; but she could tell nothing more of Regina 
than that she had insisted upon returning to her own apart- 
ment soon after Douglass had left the green chamber, and 
after allowing Mome to assist her im her bath and toilet, 
had dismissed her, saying that she preferred to be alone. 
The old woman had then gone to the quarters, upon some 
errand of her own, and stayed there several hours, taking 
care of a sick child, so that she was but just returning 
home when she was encountered. 


138 


QUEEN" TEMPEST. 


Tlie searoh continued tlirougli tlie day, and in every 
direction, but night fell and found it still unsuccessful. 
Regina was gone, and this time had left no trace behind. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

SETTING THE TRAP. 

“ There she is, master,’^ said a coarse voice panting with 
the exertion its master had gone through; and Topaz found 
herself seated upon a chair, and perceived that the shawl 
was loosened about her head. 

Raising her hands', she was about to assist this operation, 
when they were rudely seized and bound to the chair be- 
hind; while, at the same time, a hand, passing under the 
shawl, slipped a gag into her mouth, in spite of all resist- 
ance. Then the muffler was removed, and when her dazed 
eyes could distinguish anything. Topaz perceived that she 
was again in the haunted hut upon the mountain-side, and 
that opposite to her, at a little distance, sat Dr. Lefevre 
smoking a cigarette, and staring at her with a diabolical 
smile. Close beside her stood a tall, lithe negro, the doc- 
tor’s personal attendant, and willing tool in all villainies, 
known by the sinister name of Muerto, and an object of 
horror and dread to every woman and child within a dozen 
miles of Esperanza. He it was who, having upon a former 
occasion assisted his master in beguiling Topaz into this 
same cabin, had stood outside watching, but, unwilling to 
face Colonel Tempest, had retreated intot the woods as 
Philip Douglass appeared. His master’s displeasure had 
at that time fallen heavily upon him for failing to make 
him hear the signal of danger, drowned in the noise of the 
conflict, and Muerto was something more than glad of this 
opportunity to revenge upon Topaz the suffering he had 
then endured. 

“ Well, my dear,” began the Frenchman, as his help- 
less victim glanced from him to his slave, and from the 
slave back to him, with a slow horror and despair gather- 
ing in her golden eyes— “well, my dear, you see that I 
have you back again, and this time you will not find it easy 
to screanx for help. I am afraid that gag may hurt your 
pretty mouth a little, but what would you have? You 
would not let me stop it with kisses upon the former ocoa- 


QUKEiq- TExAlPEST. 


139 


sion ot our meeting here, and the consequence is that this 
time I stop it with cold iron and leather, without your 
leave. You see it would have been better to submit 
quietly. But to-day 1 have something more important 
than even your kisses to consider. But first — Muerto, you 
scoundrel, go out and watch for intruders, and see that you 
do it better than you did last time, or I will give you even 
better reason to remember it than I did then. Go, sirrah!^’ 

The slave disappeared, and his master, resuming Ihe jeer- 
ing, insolent tone, even more horrible to the listener than 
the open brutality of his manner to Muerto, continued: 

“ Yes, my little golden beauty, my princess of the 
Guinea Coast, my specimen of the auriferous treasures of 
the tropics, I have something to talk of to-day even deader 
to my heart ^than your saffron kisses, and that is — your 
mistress, the fair Regina, heiress of somewhere near a 
million dollars, or it may be nearer two, for everything de- 
pends upon the safe voyage of the ‘ Esmeralda. ’ And 
now, like all your darling, curious sex, you want to know 
what the ‘ Esmeralda ' is, and why Regina^s future de- 
pends ill part upon her arrival. Well, 1 am grieved to dis- 
appoint you, but can only say with safety to myself that 
the ‘ Esmeralda ^ is the craft in which 1 expect to make 
my bridal tour. And there again! your eyes are asking, 
as plainly as eyes can speak: ‘ My dear doctor, where is 
your bride, and. when was the bridal?’ And again I must 
refrain from completely satisfying your amiable curiosity, 
my little Topaz, and merely say that the bride is yet to be 
captured, and that you, my child, are the dainty morsel 
destined to serve for bait.” 

In hearing these last words. Topaz, for the first time, 
forgot her own situation, and began to pay serious atten- 
tion to the words of her captor. He perceived the change 
at once, and with an added sneer he said, while rolling 
himself a fresh cigarette; 

“Ah, yes; 3^011 begin to listen now, my bird, and to 
comprehend that something beyond your own charms in- 
duced me to send Muerto after you to-day. By the way, 
how did he persuade you to come? I trust no coercion was 
used! 1 never wish any damsel, be she white, brown, or 
yellow, to visit me except entirely at her own desire. Well, 
to continue, since I see that you are curious: I have a great 
desire to speak two words to your mistress before I leave 


140 


QFEEN TEMPEST. 


Cuba, as I intend doing very shortly; but, unfortunately, 
Miss Tempest has taken a prejudice against me, and, I fear, 
would not make me welcome at her house — which is, in 
point of fact, my house for the present year — but that is a 
matter upon which I will not vigorously insist, as what is 
Kegina^s may very possibly one day be mine. Now, Topaz, 
it is you who are to procure me these two words; and I will 
tell you how. Write to your mistress— it is so lucky, by 
the way, that you chose to learn writing — write to your 
mistress that you are here in this cabin, in the power of a 
certain bandit, who offers to release you upon payment of 
— well, let us say two hundred Spanish doubloons; and that 
he refuses to accept jewels, notes of hand, or any substitute 
whatever for the solid ounces. In case of failure of the 
ransom, you may suggest the most horrible fate for your- 
self that you can imagine; and, to ease your conscience in 
so doing, I will promise that whatever you suggest shall 
fall short of the truth. 

“You would ask, I perceive, of what avail is this letter 
toward my purpose, since it is not ounces, but Eegina, that 
1 really wish to obtain. I will tell you: your mistress is 
generous, impulsive, and fearless. She will not have the 
money in the house, and if she had, would hardly trust a 
messenger, who might appropriate the gold to his own use, 
and leave you to the horrible fate aforesaid. She will come 
herself to rescue her favorite servant — her half-sister, as 
you and I know you to be — she will come herself, and — 
my trap is sprung, my game secure. 

“ And now, my pretty Topaz, 1 must have your consent 
to write this note, before 1 remove the gag from your 
mouth; and I grieve to be obliged to say that 1 shall stop 
at no measures for gaining it. I don^t wish to be unkind, 
my little Topaz, but perhaps you will look at this whip. 
It is new and stout, and Muerto has a strong arm. How 
should you enjoy being stripped to the skin, and having, 
your pretty little hands tied to those two rings m the wall 
— a good way above your head, you perceive — and trying 
two dozen or so? You would not like it? No, 1 presume 
not; but that, my little Topaz, would be the beginning. 
What the end would be 1 can not at this moment say, but 
will merely remark that your life, sweet and precious as it 
is to mo, would probably be the price of your obstinacy. 
Will you write the letter, Topaz?’' 


C^UEEN TEMPEST. I4l 

Topaz shook her head. The doctor eyed her in silence, 
^hile the sneer upon his lips became a diabolical grin. 

Kising, he took the whip from the table, balanced it in 
his hand, swung it whistling about his head, and brought 
it down within an inch of Topaz's ear. Then, laying it 
down, he busied himself in cutting a piece of stout rope 
into lengths, glancing at the rings in the wall as he did so, 
and softTy whistling the air of the tarantella. 

Finally, he advanced to Topaz, unbound her arms from 
the chair, and dragged her to her feet. 

“Now look here, my girl," said he, dropping the 
tone of banter he had hitherto used, and adopting one of 
sullen and relentless ferocity, “ i am going to begin my 
discipline with you, and I promise you that it shall be no 
child's play. I have no enmity toward you, no dislike, 
and therefore there is no hope that, having punished you 
sufiiciently, I should relent. 1 am simply determined to 
make you serve a certain purpose, and I shall make yoir do 
it, unless your life sinks beneath the means I shalf adopt. 
So now, for the last time, I ask, Will you write the let- 
ter?" 

Topaz hesitated, her eyes wildly rolling from the whip 
to the cords, the rings, and finally to the relentless face of 
her captor, which repeated in every line the diabolical as- 
surance he had just given her, that neither life nor suffer- 
ing would move him from his path, and that the mortal 
anguish he proposed to inflict upon her was merely his de- 
liberate means toward a certain end. 

All this Topaz read and understood to its fullest extent, 
and then she made a motion to have the gag removed from 
her mouth. With a contemptuous grin. Dr. Lefevre com- 
plied, and stood waiting, while Topaz vainly tried with her 
strained and wounded mouth to forni an articulate syllable. 
At last it came. 

“You can kill me slow or kill me fast, just as you see 
fit, and so sure as I die, my death will be avenged either in 
this world or the other. Mome and Juan will see to this 
world, and I'll come back from the other to help them; 
but whether you do it one way or the other, and whatever 
you make me suffer, you never can make me do anything 
to help you get hold of my mistress. I'd rather die a hun- 
dred Links over than let you once get her in your power. 


143 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


for sheM kill herself if there was no other way out ol it, 
and I should share her murder with you/' 

“ Fine words, my girl; but there's a strange power in 
whip-lashes properly applied, and you may change your 
mind before long. I hope it will not be too late for your 
own good." 

So saying, Lefevre replaced the gag, made the ends or 
two pieces of cord fast to the girl's wrists, and rove them 
through the two rings, pulling them so tight as to lift the 
slender figure slightly from the ground, upon which it only 
rested by the toes. As he fastened the last knot, Muerto 
spoke, at the door, calling to his master. 

“ Well," replied the doctor, finishing the knot. 

“ Shall 1 come in, master?" asked the black, opening 
the door slightly. 

“ Yes. I was just about to call you to handle the whip. 
What do you want?" 

“ Master, the steamer is in from New York." 

Lefevre started to his feet, a blasphemous French oath 
rolling from his tongue. 

" The New York steamer? The ‘ Columbia '?" de- 
manded he. “ Why, she is not due for forty-eight hours 
yet! You have made a blunder, you fool!" 

“No, master," replied Muerto, who had learned the 
danger of blunders too well to often make them. “ You 
told me to watch for her, and 1 have watched. She passed 
between More and Punta, with the American flag flying, 
almost half an hour ago. She is now lying at her anchor- 
age, and the custom-house boat has gone oil ' ' 

“ And that meddling Yankee will be aboard, and he will 
get off in the first boat, and make straight for Esperanza! 
And my year is up! Perdition!" 

And the baffled villain tugged at his quivering mustache, 
and fiercely eyed Muerto, who stood with folded hands and 
vacant eyes, wondering in what manner his master would 
contrive to make him responsible for his discomfiture. 

But another victim was at hand, and after a moment, 
Lefevre seized the whip, and turning to Topaz, growled: 

‘ I'll pay you out, at any rate, you insolent jade!" 

But the slender figure hung by the wrists, lifeless and 
flaccid, the golden head drooped aside, and the half-revealed 
face was ashen gray even to the parted lips. 


QU E E N T E -M PEST. 1 43 

Topaz had fainted with pain and terror, and for the 
moment was beyond the reach of her tormentor. 

With another oath. Dr. Lefevre threw down the whip, 
and striding up and down tfie cabin, muttering and gestic- 
ulating, “ seemed,^ ^ as Muerto said to himself, “to be 
communing with the fiend upon whose aid alone he must 
now depend. 

Suddenly he fiuug himself into a chair beside the table, 
seized a pencil and paper, wrote some rapid lines, folded 
and addressed them; then turned to the slave who still 
stood patient and expectant. 

“ See here, you rascal, growled the master. “ 1 want 
to see Miss Tempest here in this cabin before to-morrow 
morning. This note is to tell her that the wench yonder 
is here, and may be ransomed before sunrise; after that she 
will be carried into the mountains by Maroons. Go to 
Esperanza and find a chance to place it in Miss Tempest^s 
hand before she goes to bed, and when she is alone. Do 
not let her see your face or know your name. After 
reading it, if she refuses to come, stuff something into her 
mouth, cover up her head, and bring her here in your 
arms. I had rather she came of her own accord; but do 
not come back without her if you value a whole skin. It 
is sunset now — you have nO time to lose.^^ 

“ I am gone, master,’’ muttered Muerto, and disap- 
peared just as Topaz began to show symptoms of return- 
ing life. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

SPKINGING THE TKAP. 

Arrived at Esperanza, Muerto reconnoitered the prem- 
ises with a skill and caution learned by experience in many 
similar affairs undertaken both on his own and his master’s 
account. 

His first discovery, made by listening beneath the win- 
dows of Regina’s bedroom, was that the young lady pro- 
posed sleeping in some room above stairs, and that Aunty 
Bee, the housekeeper, was to attend her thither. 

This movement cut off all hope of a private interview, 
and Muerto was already revolving a scheme of scaling the 
veranda, and trusting to noiselessly opening a window of 
the green chamber, after Regina should be asleep, when 


144 


QUHEK TEMPEST. 


his plans were suddenly modified by hearing the young lady 
remark: 

“ You need not bring those things, Aunty Bee. I shall 
come back here to bathe and dress in the morning.” 

Now, Muerto had lived with his master at Esperanza 
long enough to know that these toilet operations would be 
effected at a very early hour, for Kegina was an unusually 
early riser, and the sun seldom had the advantage of her in 
this respect. So, on hearing these words, the slave in- 
dulged in a broad grin, and whispered to himself: 

“ That^ll be the time. Miss ^Gina, and Til get you to 
master before sunrise, if Lupo dies for it.” 

Half an hour later, Muerto crept in at one of the open 
roof- windows of the conservatory, and lowering himself to 
the floor, hid among some gigantic ferns clumped at one 
end of the little hot-house, where he lay like a great black 
serpent, silent, motionless, and watchful, through the slow 
hours, until, soon after midnight,’ the noise of John Plum- 
leigh^s exit from the green chamber resounded through the 
house. 

What this noise might mean Muerto could not judge^ 
nor how it might affect his own operations; but, after 
some anxious thought, he concluded to remain hidden, as 
Regina, at all events, would return to her chamber in the 
morning, and since Topaz was not to be found, would 
probably return alone; and with this decision Muerto coiled 
himself anew, and amused his leisure by retouching the 
fiendish disguise of black and yellow paint with which he 
had, after the fashion of the Eorth American Indian, deco- 
rated his ugly features, to prevent Miss Tempest from 
recognizing them, should she have ever chanced to notice 
them. 

This task was barely over when the door of the outer 
room was hastily opened, and Regina entered, followed by 
Aunty Mome. The conversation which followed soon in- 
formed the hidden listener of what had occurred, including 
the sudden appearance of Philip Douglass at Esperanza. 
In hearing this last bit of intelligence, Muerto grated his 
strong white teeth so audibly that Regina started, and 
glancing around the room, cried: 

“ What was that noise, Mome? Did you hear it?” 

“ A rat under the floor, missy,” replied~the old nurse. 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


145 


soothingly. “ Let me put missy into her oTvn little bed, 
and sit beside her until she sleeps. 

“ I?o, 1 shall do no such thing/’ replied missy, peevish- 
ly. “Get the bath ready, and lay out some clothes for 
me; then go away.” 

“ Won’t missy let me dress her?” asked Aunty Mome, 
with timid solicitude. 

“No. Since T can not have Topaz, 1 will dress myself, 
dust do as 1 toll you, aunty, and don’t talk.” 

So old Mome obeyed, while her mistress lay upon the 
divan in the middle of the room, her loose white wrapper 
falling like snow upon the blue silken cushions, and her 
lovely face perplexed and anxious, while out from the 
clump of ferns gleamed those snake-like black eyes; and 
Muerto, even while devoting soul and body to his master’s 
work, found time to admire the unsunned beauty so un- 
consciously displayed before him. 

At last Mome reappeared from the bath-room, announced 
that all was ready, and at a silent sign from her mistress, 
left the apartment. 

Regina lay still for a moment, then sighed heavily, 
wearily stretched her arms, from whose round and 2 :>olished 
surface the loose sleeves fell away in most innocent coquetry, 
then rose to her feet, shuffled on the blue satin slippers 
standing ready, and was moving toward the door of her 
chamber when a voice softly whispered the name: 

“ Topaz!” 

Regina started, stared about her, and with an instinctive 
movement drew the muslin wrapper about her shoulders, 
whence it was already falling. 

“ News of Topaz, mistress!” repeated the voice, a little 
louder. 

“ Who is it? Who brings news of Topaz? Where are 
you?” demanded Regina, turning pale, and eagerly search- 
ing the conservatory with her eyes, for she had already dis- 
covered that the sounds came from that direction. 

“ Mistress need not be frightened, and she must call no 
one, or Topaz will die. Here is a letter L^ora her,” said 
the voice. 

And out from the ferns flew a note, tied to a bit of cane, 
and so adroitly thrown as to land at Regina’s feet. 

Without comment, the young girl picked it up, oi^ened, 
and read: 


146 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“We have Topaz, and we shall carry her away into the 
mountains, where she will fare the worse, perhai)s be glad 
when death comes, but it will be a death of torture. She 
may be ransomed for one hundred gold ounces, sent by the 
bearer, but neither Jewels nor paper will be received. If 
the bearer does not return by sunrise, or if he returns 
empty-handed. Topaz belongs to those who send this. ’’ 

Regina read this note twice over, and as she read the 
color flamed to her cheek, the light to her eye. 

“ Come out here, you!’’ said she, turning toward the 
conservatory, and speaking as if to ^ some loathsome yet 
partially intelligent animal. 

The ferns shook and parted sufficiently to show the face 
of a monster, possibly a man, hideously streaked, spotted 
and arabesqued in yellow, black, and red. 

“ Mistress will not scream?” asked the monster. 

“ Come out here!” 

Muerto rolled out of his lair and stood upright. Regina 
looked at him with disgusted curiosity. 

“You are some runaway negro, painted in this style for 
disguise,” said she at last, and without fear. Muerto 
made no reply. 

“ Where is Topaz?” asked Regina, after a little pause. 

“In the hands of our band. They wait for the ransom 
until sunrise; then they hide themselves and her in the 
mountains,” said Muerto, in a tone of significant menace. 

“ Suppose I call my servants to cut you to pieces with 
their whips, as you deserve?” demanded Regiua. 

“ Topaz dies under torment,” calmly replied Muerto. 

“ 1 will force you to lead my men to your retreat.” 

“ Mistress could not force me to do so^ for nothing that 
she could invent in the way of torture would equal what I 
should receive from the band, sooner or later, if I betrayed 
them.” 

“ But I will protect you here at Esperanza. ” 

“ Mistress, they would find me and reclaim me if you 
kept me in this very chamber day and night. Mistress, 1 
am the slave of a master whom I fear far more than I coultl 
fear you or any other. I can not be forced to betray him. ” 

So said Muerto, faithful through fear as was Topaz 
through love, and each faith stronger than life, each hold- 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


U7 


ing death less terrible lhau treachery. The one faith was 
despicable, the other admirable, and yet each was a faith I 

Regina stood for some moments looking with angry doubt 
into the face of this incorruptible and unterrifiable rob- 
ber, and then she silently turned toward her escritoire, 
hesitated, colored slightly, and returning, said: 

“ But I have no money in the house, not a single 
doubloon, and I doubt if my guardian, who is now at 
Esperanza, has so much as a hundred gold ounces with 
him.^’ 


“ And if he had, my orders are to let no one but the 
Queen know my errand. If mistress sends for any one else, 
or calls for any one, I shall be gone before the words are 
out of her mouth, and she will not save Topaz. 

“Wretch!^^ exclaimed Regina, stamping her slender 
foot, clinching her little hand, and fixing a look of blazing 
indignation upon the slave, who received it with stolid hu- 
mility. 

“lam but the servant of my master,^’ muttered he; 
and Queen Tempest turned from him contemptuously, for 
this defense was unanswerable. 

“ "Well, what is to be done?’^ demanded she, presen tl}^ 
“ I have not the money, you will not consent to my asking 
my guardian for it, you will not take jewels. AVhat did 
your master order you to suggest; for of course he did not 
expect me to have a hundred ounces in my apron -pocket.^' 

“If the queen would condescend to come as far as the 
place where Topaz is waiting, she might give my master 
an order upon her bankers in Havana for the money, 
and wait with Topaz until it was brought. Then she could 
bring her maid away with her,^^ suggested Muerto, with 
crafty humility. 

Queen Tempest lifted her head: 

“You ask me to come to a robber^s den and wait for 
hours exclaimed she, haughtily. 

“ The queen need see no one except the chief and poor 
Topaz, who is ill with fright and weariness.’" 

“ Wretches! If you have injured her in any way — "" 

“ She is safe as the baby in its mother’s arms, lady, un- 
til the hope of her ransom is gone. Then indeed — ” 

“ Come! 1 will go with you. 1 must order my horse.” 
And Regina was about to clap her hands, but a gesture of 
the slave arrested her. 


150 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


fcer as the whir of a pair of wings. Glancing up with an 
eager motion, Dr. Lefevre perceived that the wings be- 
longed to a pigeon, and that this pigeon was pecking 
vehemently at the solitary window of the cabin. 

“ Ha! ha! ‘ La Esmeralda!^ muttered the French- 
man, and re-entering the cabin, he hastily opened the win- 
dow, without glancing at the motionless figure of the 
tortured girl already unconscious of her sufferings, and ad- 
mitted the pigeon, who flew straight to a box of grain, set 
ready upon a little shelf, and began to eat with the voracity 
of starvation. Dr. Lefevre followed him, and without dis- 
turbing his repast, cut a thread of stout silk passing around 
his body, and detached from it a slip of thin paper, con- 
taining a few words in Spanish. 

“ ‘ La Esmeralda ^ is in, and already unloading. At 
the old spot. Very fortunate voyage. ” 

“ Ah, ha!^^ muttered Dr. Lefevre again, and twisting 
the paper into a pellet, he tossed it at Topazes face as he 
passed, and again went out, leaving the girl still in her 
deadly swoon, the carrier-pigeon still pecking at the grain, 
and the eternal justice to keep them company. 

Very early the next morning, Dr. Lefevre again ap- 
proached the cabin. His night had been a busy one; in 
the first place he had watched Philip Douglass from the 
“ Columbia to the quay, from the quay to the hotel, and 
thence out of town at his horse^s best pace. 

“ He will be at Esperanza in an hour, and all now de- 
pends upon Muerto. He is shrewd, and he fears me more 
than man or devil; he can neither be tempted nor fright- 
ened into betraying me, and he will not dare to leave Espe- 
ranza without Regina, if it is possible to bring her. At 
any rate, I must leave the matter in his hands now, for the 
‘ Esmeralda ^ can not waif' 

So musing, the Frenchman set spurs to his horse, and 
following Douglass out of the town for a short distance, 
struck off into the road to Casa Blanca, that suburb of 
Havana consecrated to slaves, smugglers, and such other 
craft as may find it convenient to land their cargoes quiet- 
ly, and without the aid of the law. 

The remainder of the night was spent in this locality, 
and it was only with much difficulty that the Frenchman, 
weary though he was, managed to steal a few hours of the 


QXTEEN- TEMPEST. 


ini 


early morning to attend to other matters than those con- 
nected with this mysterious “ Esmeralda. At last, how- 
ever, lie threw himself upon his horse, and galloped out of 
the village, a grim smile upon his lips; for. the voyage of 
the “ Esmeralda had indeed been fortunate, and so active 
had been the operations of her crew, that there was fair 
hope that she might be ready to sail in the course of the 
succeeding night, carrying out even a richer freight than 
that she had brought in. 

Kevolving these and other even pleasanter thoughts and 
anticipations. Dr. Lefevre rode out of Casa Blanca, and 
struck into the mountain road. Almost at the jioint where 
he should leave it to strike into the path to the cabin, the 
impetuous horseman nearly rode over a man mounted upon 
a sorry mule, pacing slowly down the road. The doctor 
reined up his horse with a muttered malediction, and was 
about to pass, when something in the .figuie and air of the 
other caused him to cast a second look his way, and in that 
look he recognized John Plumleigh, whose face and air he 
had studied as he sat upon the veranda of Esperanza, upon 
the previous day, while the doctor made his daily recon- 
naissance of that regretted paradise. 

The drooping and disconsolate figure, the strange hour, 
Philip Douglass’s unexpected arrival, and Dr. Lefevre ’s 
low estimate of other men’s honor, suddenly grouped them- 
selves in his mind, suggesting a theory not very far from 
the true one. 

Restraining his horse, already in motion, he courteously 
said: 

“ Pardon — but do not I address the Signor Plumleigh?” 

“ That’s my name,” gruffly replied John Plumleigh. 

“ Again pardon — but you come from Esperanza — do you 
not?” 

“Yes. What then?” 

“ Perhaps, signor, you will kindly inform me whether a 
person or man named Philip Douglass has arrived at that 
place?” 

“ Curse him, yes!” roared John Plumleigh. 

And then all the suppressed rage and terror, so hardly 
restrained beneath the decorous surface, burst forth, and 
the respectable middle-aged gentleman indulged in a tor- 
rent of profanity and abuse, to which Dr. Lefevre listened 
with smiling appreciation, gathering the story of the night 


152 QUEEN- TEMPEST. 

more from the other's ejaculations than any connected 
narrative. 

“ I perceive, signor, that you do not love our friend 
Douglass any better than I do," said he, when John Plum- 
leigh, breathless, exhausted, and terrified at his own audac- 
ity, paused to wipe his reeking brow. 

“ Love him? I hate him like poison!" gasped he. 

“ Strike hands, brother!" exclaimed the Frenchman, 
seizing the somewhat reluctant hand of his new comrade, 
and shaking it heartily. “ And now," continued he, 
“ ride with me a little off the road, and we will consult a 
little. I have a plan by which, I think, we can return to 
Monsieur Douglass some of the little courtesies with which 
he has favored us. " 

So the two, riding a short distance up the mountain 
path, threw themselves upon the moss beneath the trees, 
and laid their plot against Philip Douglass. 

“ And when he is out of the way you shall go back to 
Esperanza and comfort the pretty Regina, who will be but 
too glad of the exchange," said the Frenchman, smoothly. 

A ghastly smile overspread John Plumleigh's wan feat- 
ures. 

“ Well, we were getting on famously, to be sure," said 
he, complacently. “ These creole women don't take much 
coaxing. " 

Dr. Lefevre clinched his sinewy right hand, as if it held 
a dagger, and a dangerous light glittered in his opaque 
black eyes. But before he could reply, or the hopeful 
lover speak again, the cry of a whideh-bird resounded 
through the forest, closely followed by the notes of an 
angry macaw. “ Ah, ha!" muttered Dr. Lefevre, com- 
placently. 

He had recognized the signal by which Muerto was to 
proclaim his successful return to the cabin. 

Mr. Plumleigh, unskilled in forest sounds, and absorbed 
in his own thoughts, had not noticed the signal, and was 
only aroused by his companion's rising and remounting his 
horse, saying, at the same time: 

“ Well, you understand the plan perfectly, I perceive, 
and you had better get into the city, and put it in execu- 
tion as soon as possible. 1 must leave you hero, as I have 
an errand further up the mountain; but we will meet to- 
morrow at Esperanza, with none to hinder or make afraid. " 


^UEEN TEMPEST. 


loS 


“ Aud you will not interfere between the little girl and 
me? AYon't go playing stern guardian or anything?” 
asked John Plumleigh, a little anxiously. The Frenchman 
hid a scowl of the blackest beneath a smile of the silkiest, 
as he replied, wheeling his horse toward the mountain 
path: 

” Be at rest, monsieur; when you return to Esperanza 
you will find nothing and no one to oppose you.” 

“ ThaPs right, that’s it, doctor; and so, good-bye until 
we meet again. ” 

“ Adieu, monsieur!” 

And the lesser and greater villains separated, each to his 
appointed villainy. 

Dr. Lefevre, riding smartly up the mountain road, dis- 
mounted at the edge of the clearing, up and down whose 
narrow bounds stalked Muerto, guarding the door of, the 
cabin, and casting anxious looks toward the road. As his 
master appeared he came forward and took his rein. 

“All right, Miierto?” asked Dr. Lefevre. 

“All right, master,” replied Muerto. 

“ She is in the cabin?” 

“Yes, master.” 

“ Does she expect me?” 

“No, master; she expects the chief of the banditti,” 
replied Muerto, without a smile to point his sarcasm. 

“ All the better. She will deal with a gentleman in- 
stead of a ruffian,” replied the Frenchman, coolly. 

And taking the key of the locked door from Muerto, he 
approached, unlocked, and entered it, carefully relocking 
it as he did so. Then he looked about him. 

Upon the floor lay the body of Topaz, a painful life just 
struggling back to her deathly face; and beside her knelt 
Kegina, her ^own face nearly as pallid, the tears raining 
from her horror-stricken eyes, and her dainty hands busy 
in chaiing the slave girl’s temples, neck, and wrists. 

At the sound of the unbolted door she looked up, a stern 
indignation replacing the grief and terror of her face. 

“You!” exclaimed she, as Dr. Lefevre emerged from 
the shadow near the door- way. 

“ Yes, me!” concisely replied he. 

“ How came you here? You are not — are you leagued 
with these robbers?” 

“ What robbers?” vaguely demanded Lefevre, a new 


154 


QrEEX TF-MPEST. 


plan hastily forming itself in his mind as he perceived that 
Regina did not yet suspect his agency in her abduction. 

“ Those who stole and maltreated my poor Topaz, as 
you seel"" exclaimed Regina, vehemently. “ Why, when 
1 came into this cabin, Doctor Lefevre, 1 found her hang- 
ing, actually hanging by the wrists, and at first I thought 
she was dead. 1 cut the ropes; and she fell, poor child, 
upon the floor like that; for 1 could not hold her although 
I tried. And now I have just discovered a little life. 
Help me to revive her — for you know how — and afterward 
we will talk of the rest."" 

“ She will revive; no fear but that she will,"" replied the 
physician, kneeling beside Topaz, and examining her eyes 
and the pulsations of her heart. “But the robbers may 
bo here at any moment. To tell the truth, it was seeing 
the slave of their chief hastening from this direction that 
led me to approach the hut. I wished to see what new 
mischief they were at. He has gone to call his master, 
and they will be here directly. You must not stay to meet 
them."" 

“ I came here to meet them, and to ransom Topaz."’ 

“ Folly I They have no idea of releasing either of you. 
It was a trap, Regina, to catch the heiress of Esperanza, 
and it has been sprung but too successfully. They will 
hurry you off to the mountains, and you will only be ran- 
somed with the loss of half your property; perhaps you 
will never escape, certainly Topaz will not. These men 
love women."" 

In listening to these sinister words. Queen Tempest for 
the first time comprehended the terrible danger in which 
she had placed herself — for the first time lost courage. 

Pale as death, she extended her hands to Dr. Lefevre, 
and cried, in a gasping voice: 

“ Save me — save Topaz and me, while tlicre is yet time!"" 

“ I will, my poor child,” replied the Frenchman, 
benevolently. “ I will risk my life to save you — but how? 
The banditti may be here at any moment. Topaz can not 
walk. We dare not and can not take the road to Espe- 
ranza openly and without protection. Where can we go? 
Wliat can we do?” 

“ If I could return to Esperanza before my absence is 
discovered/" murmured Regina, considering for the first 


QUEEX TEMPEST. 


1^5 

time the displeasure of her guardian, in hearing of her rash 
undertaking and the dangers she had incurred. 

“ Impossible/^ replied the doctor, musingly. We can 
not regain the main, road without encountering the ban- 
ditti, and Topaz could not walk, nor could I carry both 
you and her upon one horse. But I know of a cabin a 
little further among the mountains, where an old negress 
lives alone. I have visited her occasionally to buy the 
essences she extracts from the herbs she alone knows where 
to find. If you will accompany me to this place, and re- 
main until nightfall. Topaz will be recovered, and I can 
take you safely back to Esperanza.^^ 

“ Very well. I will do that, then,’' replied Regina, list- 
lessly; for in discovering that she could not return to 
Esperanza in time to prevent Douglass from learning her 
imprudence, she had lost all courage and self-reliance. 

“ I will place Topaz upon my horse and lead him, if you 
can walk a short distance/’ said the doctor, raising the still 
inanimate form in his arms. 

“ I can walk,” replied Regina, in the same dreary tone, 
and followed him out of the cabin. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

FOUND AND LOST. 

Il Demonio, as has been said, burst through the window 
of Regina’s boudoir, and rushed down the garden path as 
if starting upon a journey of leagues; but Douglass, who 
rushed for the horse which a groom held ready for him, 
had barely mounted, when the hound’s voice was heard in 
the edge of the. little wood at the foot of the lawn, upraised 
in a howl of rage and perplexity. 

“ He has lost the trail so soon!” exclaimed Douglass, in 
annoyance, and rode to the spot, followed by all the serv- 
ants about the place. 

11 Demonio was found coursing round and round a little 
spot where the trampled turf plainly showed traces of the 
recent presence of a horse. 

“ Miss Regina has gone away on a horse, and the horse 
was tied here while whoever came after her went up to the 
house to call her,” suggested Juan, eagerly. 

“ What horse is missing from the stables, Estaphano?” 


m 


QFEEN' TEMPEST. 


asked Douglass, Inriiiug quickly to the head grooin, w’ho 
stood beside liiru. 

“ Not one, master. I just saw them fed,’^ replied the 
man, readily. 

Somebody came after her, and she vvent away on his 
horse with him,’’ ventured Juan, in a low voice. 

“Somebody? Who do you mean?” asked Douglass, 
turning sharply upon him. 

“ It might be the doctor, master,” replied Juan, so low 
that no one except Douglass lieard him. 

“How could he induce her to go? and where?” mut- 
tered he, more to himself than to the servant, who never- 
theless heard, and in the same low^ voice replied: 

“ You know the hut in the woods, master, where he 
cheated Topaz into going to meet me that tini6?” 

“ Yes, yes, you are right, Juan — nothing is more likely. 

I see it all — he has stolen Topaz and used her as a bait to 
catch her mistress. Regina would never think of danger 
to herself when the question was of rescuing Topaz.” 

“ No, master. Shall we go and look for them?” stam- 
mered Juan, overcome with terror and rage, in thinking 
of his sweetheart in the hands af the Frenchman, and with 
delight at the tone of cordial confidence and approval in 
which Douglass had spoken to him for the first time in 
weeks. 

“ That we will, Juan; and I think that you and I, with 

II Demon io, are a match for any fori^e we shall encounter, 
so that there will be no need of taking any one else along. 
The servants need not know the whole story.” 

“No, master! Thank you, master! I am proud and 
happy to be the one to go with you, _sir! And I’m very 
grateful, sir, that you’ll trust me so far in anything, sir!” 

“ Yes, yes, Juan, I understand; but it is no time to 
speak of that now. Get yourself a horse, and a fast one 
too, and join me here in two minutes.” 

“ Yes, master,” replied Juan, joyfully, as he ran away. 

And Douglass had hardly more than time to inform the 
other servants that they were to remain behind and keep 
upon the watch for any news from their mistress or from 
him, before Juan appeared, mounted upon a fiery little 
piebald nag, hardly more than a pony in size, but of great 
strength and speed. 

“ Now then,” exclaimed Douglass, as he approached. 


QUEEN" TEMPEST 157 

and the tv^o meiij followed by II Demonio, galloped down 
the avenue of magnolias and disappeared in the dusk. 

“Golly!'' ejaculated Black Philip, as he watched them 
out of sight. “ I pity the fellow that tries to stand up be- 
fore them three— for the dog counts for more than Juan, 
anyway." 

Down the avenue and along the hilly and difficult road, 
and through the blind mountain path, sped the three, 
silent, determined, and irresistible. At the edge of the 
clearing they drew rein, dismounted, loosely tied the horses 
to neighboring trees, and with stealthy rapidity a2)proached 
the cabin. 

One blow of fist and foot from Douglass sent the door 
flying wide, and he rushed impetuously in, fearing lest, 
even in the shortest parley, his wily antagonist should 
manage to escape or conceal his victims. 

But before him lay nothing but darkness, emptiness, and 
a mournful silence. The cabin was empty and deserted! 

“ See, master!" muttered Juan, hoarsely, and held up 
the whip. “ And see!" cried he again, snatching at the 
cords still dangling from the rings upon the wall. “ Oh, 
if he has struck Topaz!" groaned he, dashing them down, 
and raging about the cabin in search of further suggestions 
or proofs of the horrors that might have been perpetrated 
within its walls. 

“ Be quiet, Juan! Wait, my poor fellow, until I can 
think what is best to do next," said Douglass, pityingly; 
and seizing the mulatto by the arm, he pointed to II De- 
monic, who was coursing around the room, smelling at 
the floor and growling hoarsely. 

“ She has been here, you see! Follow!" 

And as the hound shot out of the cabin, the two men 
followed to the shed behind and found him again at 
fault, and rushing rapidly in and out of the little building. 

In a moment, however, he struck a new trail, and started 
off at a steady pace through a little bridle path winding, 
apparently, still higher up the mountain. 

In breathless silence Douglass and Juan followed, 
lighted now by the splendor of the full moon, which hung 
like a broad silver shield just above the crests of the tall- 
est trees. 

Half a mile, and II Denionio's note of savage joy ‘-m 
uounoed that he had discovered something. 


158 


QrT:FN TEMJ^EST. 


The men hurried forward and found him nosing a little 
carved crystal amulet, a toy of which Regina was extrava- 
gantly fond, and always carried about her. Douglass took 
it from the hound, silently examined it a moment, then 
placed it in his breast, and sped on after the dog, who was 
already out of sight, and a moment after was heard baying 
furiously. 

“ Now we have it, Juan!’^ cried the young man, dash- 
ing forward, his revolver in his hand. 

Juan, similarly armed, followed as fast, and emerging 
from the bushes, the two men found themselves in front of 
a tiny shelter, hardly worthy to be called a cabin, although 
it possessed a door, now closed and barred. Before this 
door stood 11 Demonio, his red eyes gleaming, his tongue 
lolling, his great fangs glistening, and the short hairs upon 
his spine erect, like those of a hyena. 

“Open! open! I demand!^’ shouted Douglass, tap23ing 
upon the door with the butt of his pistol. 

“ Call ofi the dog, master, and I will. I am afraid of 
the dog,^^ replied a woman’s voice, in the negro patois. 

And Douglass, passing a handkerchief through the 
hound’s collar, ordered Juan to control him, while he con- 
tinued the parley. 

“ The dog is safe now. Open the door.” 

“Yes, master,” replied the voice; and after a little 
fumbling, the door was cautiously opened a little way, and 
the figure of an old negress appeared upon the threshold. 
“ What do you want, master?” asked she, humbly. 

“ The young lady who is hidden here,” replied Douglass, 
sternly. 

“ There is no young lady here, master. There is no- 
body but me— poor old Lotta — no one at all.” 

“ There has been, then. The hound proves that.” 

“Yes, master; some travelers stopped here for a few 
moments, and then they went on.” 

“ Some travelers? Who?” demanded Douglass, eagerly. 

“ How should 1 know, master? There was a gentleman, 
a lady, and a servant.” 

“ And they are not here now, or any one of them?” 

“You shall look, master. My dwelling is very small, 
and a single glance will tell whether I speak the truth.” 

“ I will let 11 Demonio look for me,” replied Douglass, 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 159 

coldly. “ stand here close beside me, and he shall not 
harm you. Juan, take him into the cabin. 

Thrusting open the door of the cabin, Juan released the 
dog, who, bounding over the threshold, ran once or twice 
around the place, his nose to the ground, stopped beside 
the bed heaped with dry husks and leaves,' lifted up his head 
and howled dismally, and then rushed out of the cabin and 
stopped beside Douglass, looking up in his face as if for 
consultation, and uttering a low whimper of impatience. 

“ At fault again, II Demonic? Well, wait a minute,^’ 
replied Douglass to this mute appeal. 

And then he turned to the old woman, who crouched 
close to his side in her terror of the hound. 

“ Come, now, my good woman,^^ said he, peremptorily; 
“you know something more than you have told, and 1 
must have it. That dog would tear you to pieces in a mo- 
ment if 1 gave him the word; so speak while there is time, 
1 advise you.^^ 

“ Oh, master, don’t, don’t!” shrieked the poor old 
creature, knowing full well that nothing was more likely 
than for this threat to be carried into execution, the life or 
death of an old n egress not being very much considered in 
the island of Cuba, especially when opposed to the will of 
a white gentleman or lady. 

“ Speak, then,” said Douglass, sternly. “ Tell me all 
that you know of these travelers, and you shall not be 
harmed; indeed, you shall be rewarded — see! here is gold 
— but if you try to deceive me I shall know it, and — you 
understand the rest.” 

“ My God, signor! 1 will say whatever you wish,” 
stammered the old woman, one eye fixed upon the hound, 
the other upon the half doubloon glistening in the palm of 
the young man’s hand. 

“ Say the truth— nothing less and nothing more. Who 
were these travelers — their names, 1 mean?” demanded 
Douglass. 

“ I do not know the names of one of them, signor. 
There was a gentleman and lady, and a yellow girl, who 
was sick. They came in, and the girl was laid upon the 
bed, and the lady sat beside her. The gentleman went 
outside, and after awhile I heard other horses’ feet, and 
went to the door just as a black fellow rode up. He spoke 
to the gentleman, and seemed to be his servant. Then the 


160 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

lady and gentleman got on one of the horses, aiid the - 
ant on the other, with the yellow girl in his arms, and they 
rode away; and that is all I know, master — all, and really 
all.^’ . 

“ They rode away? Where? Which way did they go?"’ 

“ Down the mountain, master.” 

“ The way we came?” 

“ Yes, master. ” 

“ How long ago?’^ 

An hour. Just after sunset.” 

” And this is positively the whole truth?” 

“ Positively the whole, master.” 

“ Get in, then, and shut the door. Here is the money,’' 
said Douglass, wearily. “ Now, Juan, release the hound, 
and let us see what he will do.” 

But II Demonio was at fault, or rather the trace of 
Regina’s footsteps was here lost, from her having mounted 
upon horseback, and he had nothing to guide him. J uan, 
with savage, glittering eyes, followed him step by step, 
waiting for some clew to the truth or falsehood of the old 
woman’s story. Suddenly he gave a cry, and pushing 
away a matted creeper trailing from the branches of two 
chestnuts to the ground, showed the opening of a path be- 
hind them. 

“ Here are the fresh prints of horses’ feet, master,” 
cried he, eagerly. “ They have gone this way, and within 
a coimle of hours at furthest.” 

” Go back, then, and bring the horses up. This path, 
no doubt, leads down to the road nearer the city. I will 
follow it with the dog, and you make haste to overtake 
me.” 

So saying, Douglass plunged into the wood, closely fol- 
lowed by II Demonio. Juan shook his head at this temer- 
ity, then turned and hastened back to the haunted cabin. 

Douglass, pressing rapidly forward, found that he was de- 
scending the hill; and after half an hour of sharp work, 
emerged upon the high-road. , Here he paused, bewildered 
for the moment, and still stood looking up and down the 
road, when a number of armed horsemen rode sharply down 
the hill, and almost over him. 

“ Halt!” shouted the leader, as he came abreast of 
Philip, and stooped to look into his face by the moonlight. 
“ It is the Signor American, Philip Douglass, is it not?” 


^UEEIT. TEMPEST, 


161 


** Yes; I am Philip Douglass/' replied the young man, 



“ My prisoner, then, signor— Jose Pedro I" 

And, at a sign from their chief, two of the armed police 
posted themselves upon either side of the young mao, and 
in spite of his indignant remonstrance, disarmed and bound 
him; then mounting him upon a spare horse, rode rapidly 
away. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


THE DOCTOR SUCCESSFUL. 


“Where am I? Topaz!" murmured Regina, pain- 
fully opening her eyelids, which seemed weighted down 
with lead, and raising herself upon her elbow. 

“ Hush! mistress. I am here," whispered a voice; and 
in the darkness Regina felt a hand laid upon her own. 

“ Topaz! But where are we?" demanded she. 

“ Do not speak so loud, mistress, or you will bring him 
in," implored Topaz, earnestly. 

“ Bring who in?" ^ 

“ The doctor. He has us prisoners." 

“ Where are we, then." 

“ On board a ship at anchor in the harbor." 

“ A ship? How came we here, and what have 1 been 
doing all this time? Tell me the whole. Topaz." 

“ Yes, mistress. Do you remember coming to the hut 
in the woods where I was shut up?" 

“ The hut? Oh, yes; I went there to — Why, you were 
a prisoner of the bandits, and I went to ransom you, and 
found you hanging by the wrists, poor child!" 

“It was not the bandits, mistress — it was that wretch of 
a doctor. He tied me up to make me write, and get you 
into his hands, and I would not." " 

“And he wrote himself! I see it now!" exclaimed 
Regina, , passionately. “And 1 fell into the trap. Ire- 
member going there and finding you, and cutting you 
down; and then Lefevre came, and took us to the cabin of 
that horrid old woman, and I was faint, and he laid me 
upon a he^ of leaves beside you, and 1 remember nothing 
more." 

“ That is just when I begin to remember," whispered 
Topaz. “ 1 knew when they carried us into that place. 


m 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


and when you were faint I heard him say to the old Woman 
that this is a lucky chance, and he would see that you were / 
quiet for awhile, and then he held up your head, and 
poured something between your lips. I was only just alive 
enough to know that, and then 1 went off again, and when 
I came to they were carrying us out of the cabin and he 
took you on his horse, and that horrid old Muerto took me, 
and they rode down the mountain. I kept still, partly be- 
cause I did not want Muerto to talk to me, and partly so 
that 1 could watch for a chance to call for help, if I saw 
any in reach, but I didn't, for they took us to a house a 
little way out of Casa Blanca, and kept us there until after 
dark, and then wrapped us up in two great cloaks, and 
carried us down to the water, and into a boat. I never 
spoke, for I did not want they should know I had come to 
my senses; but 1 managed to see and hear everything, and 
I heard the doctor give all the orders, and tell the people 
that we were two slave-girls he had bought, and we were 
sick, and he was going to cure us. Then they put us into 
the boat, and rowed out to this ship; and as soon as they 
got us aboard, they put us in this little room, and locked 
Iftie door. 1 tried to wake you up ever so long before 1 
could, but now you are alive, at least, and — " 

“ Topaz, the ship moves!" 

“So it does, mistress! They are carrying us away! 
What will become of us — oh. Miss Regina! ’ What shall we 
do?" 

“ Do? I will show you, girl!" exclaimed Regina, spring- 
ing out of the berth, and hastily drawing her clothes about 
her. “ That man will hardly dare to carry away the mis- 
tress of Esperanza in this fashion! Even he — Ho, there! 
Open this door!" 

And beating upon the door with both her hands, Regina 
continued to summon help, in clear, imperious tones, which 
rose above and separate from the hoarse cries of the sailors, 
and the clatter of the chain cable, as it was drawn in and 
coiled upon the deck. 

A step was heard in the cabin, a key in the lock. The 
door was opened a little way, and the sneering face of Dr. 
Lefevre appeared, dimly lighted from the room behind 
him. ' 

“ Oh! were you calling for me, my darling?" asked he, 
with a loathsome leer into Regina^s face. 


QTTEEN TEMPEST. 


If, 3 


“ I was calling for some one to let me out of this place; 
and since it is you, I demand to be set on shore at once. 
How dare you bring me here, sir?’’ 

“ Gpme out here, and we will talk about it, my dear,” 
replied Lefevre. And, seizing Regina by the wrist, he led 
or rather pulled her into the outer cabin, closing and lock- 
ing the door of the state-room where Topaz still remained. 

Extricating herself from his grasp as quickly as possible. 
Queen Tempest stood before him, pale and dauntless, her 
blue eyes fixed brightly and steadily upon his own. 

“ AVell, sir!” began she, as Lefevre, regarding her with 
insolent admiration, seemed in no haste to speak. 

Well, my little queen — and, by the eyes of Venus, 
never was creature fitter to be styled queen of Love, 
Beauty, and Lefevre, than you, my Regina!’"’ 

“ Man, you touch me at your peril!” 

“ First of all, ma telle, let us agree to lay aside all these 
airs and graces, to drop the melodrama, and the high-and- 
rnighty style altogether, and just talk sense, or something 
as near sense as is vouchsafed to women. Understand, 
then, loveliest of your sex, that my passion and ardent de- 
sire to call myself your husband has led me to adopt this 
somewhat Spartan method of wooing; and that T have put 
myself to the trouble to arrange what you will concede was 
a very pretty little plot, .solely for the purpose of placing 
you in a position where you have no choice but to listen, at 
least, to the declaration of my love.” 

“ Doctor Lefevre, how dare you, sir — how dare you to 
Insult me thus? You, whom 1 have all my life known as 
no better than a servant in my father’s house!” 

“ My pretty Regina — and allow me to say ‘that nothing 
is more becoming to you than righteous indignation— it is 
precisely because I was condemned for so many years to a 
very galling and unworthy position in your father’s house, 
that 1 find the power 1 to-day hold over your father’s 
daughter peculiarly comforting and refreshing; for, my 
little maid, in spite of all your heroics and all your 
queenly ways, you are at this moment as completely in my 
hands as if I had bought you in the slave-market. This 
little craft, the ‘ Esmeralda ’ by name, belongs to me; her 
crew are bound to me, some by one tie, some by another, 
but mostly by their own interest, which I count the surest 
tie of all; and we are bound, with a fair breeze, straight 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


164 

out of the harbor. If my love for you t^as purely selfish, 
there is nothing to restrain me from clasping you to my 
heart, pressing my marriage-kiss upon those lovely Kps, 
and making you my own at once; but, fairest, I ana not 
only a lover, but a gentleman. I adore you, but also 1 re- 
spect myself, and. 1 take no [advantage whatever of my 
position. I merely inform you that we are bound for the 
Isle of Pines, where I shall capture a priest, bring him on 
board, and order him to marry us two. You will not ob- 
ject to this, because, really you have no choice between 
going to sea with me as my wife, and going to sea with me 
as my pretty lady-love — a position which a censorious world 
looks upon with unfavorable eyes. You will consent to 
the marriage; and after a pleasant little bridal-voyage, we 
will return to Esperanza.’^ 

“ I see; you are running away from Philip Douglass, '' 
interrupted Eegina, with quiet scorn. “ But you do not 
value me highly enough if you think I rely upon his pro- 
tection or presence. Alone here, as 1 stand, Doctor 
Lefevre, 1 despise and I defy you! Do not you know that 
in the spirits of even the children of a race like mine dwells 
a strength of which base-born wretches like you never 
dreamed? Yes, I, a girl, alone, unarmed, and far from 
help, am braver and stronger than you. Doctor Lefevre; 
and so you shall find.^’ 

“ Stop, stop a moment, before you kill me with laugh- 
ter!’^ interposed the Frenchman, his thin lips and snake- 
like mustache writhing into an ugly smile, which had, how- 
ever, less of mirth in it than of nervous agitation and 
triumph. “ You speak of a race like yours! Mafoi, petite, 
do you know of what race you come?’ ’ 

“ My father was Colonel Marmaduke Tempest, son of a 
noble English family! My mother was a daughter of the 
best blood of France!” replied Regina, proudly. 

“ The best blood of France!” echoed Lefevre. “ That 
maybe; but that same best blocd became terribly mud- 
died, my child, in finding its way to you. Your mother 
was a nun who broke her vows and escaped from her con- 
vent to live with your father for awhile; and then to re- 
place him by another and another lover, until she sunk to 
the lowest depths of vice and degradation. Regina, you 
have no family, no birth, no name, no claim upon any liv- 
ing soul for respect or consideration! You are base-born! 


qt:eek tempest. 


165 


ana worse, for your birth was a sacrilege, a crime against 
God as well as man! for your mother was solemnly vowed 
to His service! Where is now your proud boast of blood 
and lineage. Miss Tempest? And, by the way, as your 
name is not Miss Tempest, or Miss Anything-else, there is 
another reason for taking that of Lefevre, which I propose 
to bestow upon you. Well, what is it?^"* 

For Regina, pale and cold as death, and shaking in every 
limb, had tottered across the cabin, and now stood close 
before her captor, her eyes fixed in agony upon his own, 
her hands clasped convulsively, as if in prayer. 

“ No! no!'^ gasped she, at length. “ Not that! It can 
not b®! It must not be! My father! My mother! You 
shall not deprive me of their memories, at least! Say that 
you have invented this horror! Confess that it is a lie! 
Oh, man! man! you shall not kill me with this horror! 
You shall not — you can not!^^ 

“ Regina, it is the truth !’^ said Lefevre, solemnly, and 
moved in spite of himself by the horror and agony trans- 
forming the lovely face before him into the image of one 
of the doomed. “ It is God’s solemn truth! Your father 
stole your mother from her convent, and how could they 
marry? She was unfaithful, and he abandoned her to the 
streets of Paris. You understand now wliy he lived so 
secluded a life, why you never mixed with others of your 
rank and age, why he was so anxious to marry you to 
Douglass before he died!” 

“ Douglass! Oh, the misery, the misery of his con- 
tempt!” cried Regina, clasping both her hands over her 
eyes, as if to shut out some sight of blasting horror; and 
falling upon the floor, she burst into an agony of tears. 

Lefevre still stood looking at her, gnawing his mus- 
tache, while his furtive and uneasy eyes seemed searching 
on every side for his next step, when a knock upon the 
door of the cabin was followed by a hoarse voice calling his 
name. 

Hissing an oath, he went to obey the summons; and after 
a short and hurried conference, he returned to Regina, raised 
her to her feet, and half leading, half carrying her almost 
lifeless form, ho unlocked and threw open the door of the 
state-room, and summoned Topaz to receive her mistress. 

“ Better leave us in the outer cabin, master,” said the 


1G6 


QUEEN TEMPEST. ‘ 


girl, submissively. “ It is so hot and close that she will 
never recover in here. 

“ Very well. I shall come down again in five minutes,^^ 
replied Lefevre, hurriedly, and hastily departed, locking 
the door upon his prisoners. 

“Courage, darling mistress!’^ whispered Topaz, the 
moment they were alone. “It is morning now, and I 
heard them saying on deck that a Spanish man-of-wsCT had 
hailed us. IE we can make them hear us! If we can call 
them to help us! Oh, mistress, what shall I do? How 
shall I manage? Tell me, quick !’^ 

“ It is no matter, my poor Topaz!’’ murmured Regina, 
listlessly. “ I do not care to be saved! I will not live 
longer than it will take me to find death!” 

“ Oh, no, no, darling, dearest lady! He lied to you! I 
am sure he lied! I heard it all, and we will yet prove it a 
lie; but now, oh, lady, dear, what shall I do now?” 

“ You can do nothing. Topaz. We can not get out, 
and they would not let us wave a signal, if we were — ” 

“Wave a signal! Is that the thing?” cried Topaz, 
snatching a sheet from the berth Regina had just left. 
“ Wait now! How shall 1 contrive to wave it?” 

“ He is coming. Topaz! It is too late!’ cried Regina, 
and the key grated heavily in the lock'of the cabin door. 


CHAPTER XXX. 

LEFEVRE FOILED BY TOPAZ. 

“ As 3"Ou say, lieutenant, a very suspicious-looking 
craft,” remarked Captain Garcia, eying with strong dis- 
favor the low, sharp-nosed, vaguely painted little schooner 
so closely hugging the shore, and so carefully avoiding ob- 
servation from the forts as she crept out of the harbor of 
Havana, the favoring winds of which Dr. Lefevre had 
boasted having died away to a succession of flawy breezes. ' 

“ It is either a slaver or a smuggler — perhaps even a 
pirate!” replied the lieutenant, pleased with the attention 
of his superior to his opinion, and applying his eye to the 
night-glass in his hand. “1 wonder the revenue officers 
are not after her.” 

“ It will be as well to run down and hail her. Shape 
the ship’s course for her, lieutenant; and, boy, bring me 
my trumpet.” 


QUEEN" TEMPEST. 


167 


And thus it came about that the sailing-master of the 
“ Esmeralda,” finding himself about to be overhauled by 
the great war-ship, which could, had it so chosen, have run 
down his little schooner, and run over it too, leaving hardly 
a trace behind, rushed down to the cabin door to report the 
danger to his principal, who hurried upon deck in time to 
hear the first hail through Captain Garcia^s speaking- 
trumpet: 

“ What schooner is that?” 

“The ‘Esmeralda.’” 

“ Whither bound?” 

“ South Carolina.” 

“ Who is her captain?” 

“ Captain lago Eamirez.” 

“ Lay to. Captain Ramirez, and wait for a boat.” 

And neither Captain Ramirez nor his principal. Dr. 
Lefevre, dared to disobey the mandate, inconvenient and 
dangerous as it was. 

“ I must go down and get those wenches out of the way, 
and we must take our chance as to the contraband cargo,” 
muttered he to his officer, who «tood glaring at the man- 
of-war, and muttering curses not loud but deep. 

“ Yes, get the women out of the way at least, signor,” 
growled he, as a boat shot off frUm the side of the frigate, 
its oars tossing a shovv.er of diamonds into the bright morn- 
ing light just brightening into sunrise. 

And Dr. Lefevre rushed down the companion-way, and 
thrust the key into the lock of the cabin door; but we all 
know the proverb about “ the more haste the worse speed,” 
and as the key was a little bent, and the doctor’s move- 
ments were hurried and inconsiderate, it fell out that 
several moments had elapsed between inserting the key and 
opening the door. 

When at last this was done. Dr. Lefevre perceived at a 
glance that the cabin was empty, and the door of the 
state-room closed. Rushing toward it, he seized the handle 
and discovered that it was also locked. 

“ Regina!” cried he, shaking the handle. 

“ W’ell!” replied Queen Tempest’s clear voice from be- 
hind the blind serving instead of a window. 

“ You are in there, both of you — are you?” 

“ AVhat do you wish?” 

“ Only to know that you are safe. Some men, the crew 


16S 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


of a slaver, are just coming aboard. They may be pirates, 
for anything I know. At any,rate, they would insult any 
woman they come across, and we are not strong enough to 
resist them. Keep yourselves close until they are gone. 
Do you hear me, Regina?’^ 

“ I hear you. Doctor Lefevre.^^ 

“ And you will do as I direct?’’ 

“ I will do as I think best. ” 

The bitter malediction with which Dr. Lefevre received 
this avowal was drowned in a wild cry from the deck— the 
cry of many voices, some raised in terror, some in anger, 
some in defiance, and above them all ringing the clear, 
shrill tones of a woman’s voice: 

“ Help, homlres I Help, for the love of God!” 

And to that appeal arose an answering cry from the boat 
now rapidly nearing the “ Esmeralda ” — the indignant cry 
of men who saw a woman in danger from ruffians’, and 
heard her appeal to them for protection. 

“ Topaz!” murmured Regina, behind the door, and 
“ Topaz!” growled Dr. Lefevre, with a savage oath, as he 
sprung again up the companion-way, and reached the deck, 
when the first object he beheld was Topaz poised lightly 
upon the low bulwark of the quarter-decjk, the white sheet 
fluttering from the hand hdld high above her head, while, 
with the other, she grasped the edge of the great mainsail 
for support. As Lefevre saw her he sprung toward her, 
heedless for the moment of any temporizing policy with the 
man-of-war’s crew, and bent only upon revenge. Seeing 
his approach, and perceiving at a glance that the boat was 
still too far away to afiord her immediate protection, the 
agile girl, balancing herself with outspread arms, ran 
swiftly along the edge of the bulwark, evading those who 
would have arrested her course, until, reaching the bow- 
sprit, at the other end of the schooner, she tripped lightly 
along it to the extreme end, and there stood, her arms 
slightly extended, her long yellow hair rippling in a glit- 
tering mass down her shoulders, and her eyes blazing like 
live coals. 

“I’ll have you now, you—” roared Lefevre, reaching' 
the heel of the bowsprit, and beginning to step along it 
with swift strides. 

“ Come, then!” cried Topaz, leaning a little toward 
him, while a greenish light shot into her yellow eyes. 


QUEEliT TEMPEST. 169 

and her lips parted in a pouting impatience, as she stretched 
her arms toward him as toward a lover — “ Come, then I’’ 
and, as she murmured the words, Lefevre paused half-way 
along his dangerous course, and stared at her in astonish- 
ment for one instant; in the next she had launched her- 
self like a tiger-cat at the breast of her pursuer, and cling- 
ing about his neck with both arms, swayed her whole 
weight sideways, throwing the Frenchman so suddenly and 
so completely from his balance that both fell from the 
bowsprit, and she, still clinging atiout his neck, sunk be- 
neath the waters. 

At the same moment the man-of-war's boat reached the 
side of the “ Esmeralda," but at a point from whence the 
rapid scene upon the bowsprit was hidden from their ob- 
servation by the hull of the schooner, while the crew of the 
latter, more occupied with their own danger than that of 
their patron, left him to his fate, while they rushed to 
meet the boarding crew, nor was it until the lieutenant 
commanding them sternly demanded, “ Where is the 
woman who screamed for help?" that the captain of the 
“ Esmeralda " threw a hasty glance over the lee bow, and 
philosophically replied: 

“ They are drowned, both of them. Signor 'Teniente — 
both the patron and the girl." 

“Drowned! Where are they? Have you made no effort 
to save them? Why, we saw them as we reached the 
schooner!" exclaimed the young officer, in a tone of hor- 
ror; and darting'to the side of the schooner, he looked over 
for a long minute, then slpwly regained an upright position 
and shook his head. 

“ Nothing there! Who were they? How was it?" de- 
manded he, turning to the captain, who stood trembling at 
his side. 

“ Holy Virgin, signor! how should 1 know?" exclaimed 
he. “ I am but the poor sailing-master of this schooner; 
and the patron, Don Ferdinando, brought the woman on 
board just before we sailed last night. This morning she 
climbed out of -the cabin window and on deck, screaming 
for help; then she ran on the bowsprit, and he after her, 
and both fell off and were drowned. Was I to blame be- 
cause a foolish wench quarreled with her master and tum- 
bled overboard?" 

“ Row round the schooner and search for the bodies of 


170 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


7 )}mraUes ordered the lieutenant, turning to the 
cockswain, who stood close beside him. “ And in the 
meantime. Signor Capitano, 1 will look at your papers. 

“ You will find them very simple. Signor ^Teniente. We 
are only a poor little trader — ” 

“ Yes, 1 know all that. Is this the cabin?’’ and the 
lieutenant, stumbling down the steep stair, stood in the 
little cabin of the smuggler, glancing contemptuously 
about him. The captain’s apologies were profuse, or would 
have been, had they not been cut short by: 

“ There, that will do, capitano; now the papers.” 

At this moment the door of the state-room was silently 
opened, and before the eyes of the astonished young officer 
stood the figure of the loveliest woman he had ever seen, 
regarding him with a steadfast and severe scrutiny. 

“ Madre di Dios! signorita, a thousand pardons!” mur- 
mured he, doflSng his smart naval cap and bowing pro- 
foundly. “ I fear that I have disturbed you.” 

“ Signor, you do not look like a pirate— surely you are 
a gentleman,” murmured Eegina, advancing into the 
cabin, half timidly, half eagerly, her eyes still fixed upon 
the young man, who in turn colored indignantly as he re- 
peated : 

” Pirate, signorita!” 

“ They told me so, signor; but 1 see that it was a lie. 
Oh, signor, save me, and take me away from this horrible 
place. 1 am a lady, signor; the Lady of Esperanza; and 
this man — this Doctor Lefevre — has dared to carry me 
away against my will— 1 and Topaz, my maid — ” 

” She who fell overboard just now?” interrupted the 
lieutenant. 

“Fell overboard! What! Topaz drowned? What do 
you mean, signor? Speak quickly!” demanded Eegina, the 
color fading jfrom her lips, a sign with her of intense emo-' 
tion. The lieutenant stood gazing at her, too absorbed in 
her wonderful beauty to fully heed her agitated and per- 
emptory words, until, stamping her foot, and drawing her 
brows to a frown above her brilliant eyes, sEe angrily cried: 

“ Do you not hear me, sir? Are you deaf, dumb, or 
stupid? What has become of my maid Topaz?” 

“ A woman — a young girl, as I judged — fell overboard, 
and a man with her, just as we came up,” stammered the 
officer, somewhat discomposed by this attack; but, without 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 171 

waiting for him to finish, Regina sprung past him and up 
the narrow companion-way to the deck. 

The boat^s crew, already returned from their fruitless 
search, sat motionless, awaiting their officer, who followed, 
hardly casting a look at the papers paraded for his inspec- 
tion by the trembling captain. 

“ You found no trace of them?^^ asked he, in a low 
voice, of the cockswain. 

“ No trace at all. Signor Lieutenant,^’ replied the man. 

“ No doubt they sunk at once, locked in that embrace 
of death. Signora, shall we take you to the frigate, or 
force this rascally captain to carry you into Havana?” 

‘ ‘ Take me away from this as soon as possible. Oh, my 
Topaz! my poor, dear, dear Topaz!” murmured Regina; 
and with her head sunk upon her bosom, and an air of 
listless grief replacing her late energy, Regina allowed the 
young officer to hand her into the boat, and establish her 
in the stern. Then, with a few words of menace and 
warning to the captain of the smuggler, he ordered his men 
to push off, and row with st will toward the frigate. 

“We have a lady on board already, signora,” said he, 
presently, hoping to rouse his passenger from her apathy — 
“ a lady whom we took from the island of Madeira. She 
is a French marquise, and belongs to the ancienne noblesse. 
It will be a comfort to both of you to meet.” 

“I am not thinking of comfort now. Oh, my poor, 
dear, dear Topaz!” murmured Regina, sighing heavily. 

“ But Madame de Beaudesir — there she is, waiting for 
you, signora, at the top of the ladder. Is not she, also, 
beautiful and high-bred? Surely you should sympathize.” 

And Regina, looking up, met the earnest gaze of two 
lovely eyes, whose owner, smiling as she held out both her 
hands, cried aloud: 

“ Oh, you lovely darling! Let me embrace you!” 

“ But you — who are you, madame?” stammered Regina, 
half yielding to, half resisting this embrace. 

“ A woman, a sister, a mother— one who already loves 
you in some strange, unaccountable manner, sweetest one.” 

And Mme. la Marquise de Beaudesir folded her again 
to her heart, kissing her repeatedly. 


m 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


CHAPTER XXXL 


PEEPAEE FOR JUDGMENT. 


The cause of J ustice is proverbially tardy all the world 
over, but until one has wooed her through the medium of 
a Spanish court of law, he knows not the extent of hope 
deferred, of languishing endurance, of bootless struggle 
and futile exertion of which the human mind is capable. 

Philip Douglass, arrested without explanation, and 
thrown without accusation or examination into a filthy and 
unwholesome cell, might have lingered there for days, pos- 
sibly weeks, in ignorance of his offense, had he not found 
means, by heavy bribery, to send a note to Don Christoval, 
intimating both his need and his willingness to amply pay 
for such assistance as the shrewd old notary well knew how 
to render. He obeyed the summons at once, listened care- 
lessly to the prisoner's protestations of innocence of any 
offense, and at the end took snuff enormously, smiled, and 
delivered himself of this remarkable statement: 

“ My dear Signor Douglass, it makes not the slightest 
difference to me or any man what you have done, that is, 
short of high treason or open murder. The question is 
simply. How much will you pay for your liberty?” 

The matter, placed upon this simple footing, was soon 
arranged, Don Christoval convincing the judges, with but 
little trouble, that the complaint of personal assault laid by 
John Plumleigh against the Signor Douglass was merely 
a vexatious piece of revenge; and in making this state- 
ment the attorney builded better than he knew, the com- 
plaint and arrest having been contrived by Dr. Lefevre. 
and Mr. Plumleigh for the express purpose of keeping 
Douglass quiet and out of the way, while certain views of 
their own with regard to Queen Tempest were carried into 
execution; and Plumleigh himself had so little faith in his 
own cause, that he had no intention of appearing in court 
to press it. 


Under these circumstances, the law^s delays were cut 
short to so unprecedented an extent, that Douglass found 
himself at liberty within eight-and-forty hours of his 
arrest, and shook the something worse than dust of his 


^UElEiq- TEMPEST. 


178 


prison cell from his feet, without even a regret for the 
pocketful of gold doubloons which had effected his release. 

“ Your ward and our willful little queen lauded from 
that frigate in the harbor last night, and has returned to 
Esperanza,^’ mentioned Don Ohristoval, as he walked' 
down the plaza beside his client. 

Douglass stopped short and stared at the speaker. 

“Miss Tempest landed from a Spanish frigate ex- 
claimed he. “ What, in the name of wonder, do you 
mean, Don Ohristoval?’’ 

The Spaniard shrugged his shoulders, and spread his 
hands in a comic gesture of non-responsibility. 

“ Just that, signor! But if you ask me how, or why, or 
with what object the young lady either went on board that 
frigate or returned from it, what can I say? I have not 
"seen her, but a man whose eyes and ears I buy came just 
now to tell me what I have told you.” 

“ Very well; I shall go at once to Esperanza, and find 
the answer to your riddle for myself,” replied Douglass, a 
little impatiently; and a few hours later the hoofs of liis 
shaiqDly ridden horse beat into, rhythm the heavy night air 
hanging over Esperanza, and at the foot of the steps 
Douglass threw himself from the saddle, and mounting the 
steps more with the air of a master than a guest, ordered 
the first servant whom he saw to inform his mistress that 
Mr. Douglass wished to see her.' 

But Begina, reclining in the luxurious indolence that 
she loved, upon the silken cushions of her boudoir, had not 
waited for this announcement. As the fl^dng feet of the 
horse first broke the stillness of the twilight, she started to 
her elbow, pushed back the hair, already loosened for the 
night, and exclaimed, half in terror, half in delight: 

“ It is he! Oh, Donna Bella, it is he!” 

Her companion smiled inquiringly. 

“ He? Who, ma inignonne f” 

“ Philip — Mr. Douglass — my guardian, you know, dear 
lady.” 

“ Ah, yes. And you are a little afraid to meet him after 
all your mad escapades,” said the lady, in French. 

Regina did not answer, for already the door opened, and 
Antonio appeared with the somewhat peremptory message 
of the visitor. 

“ Show him in here, Antonio,” said Regina, after a mo- 


174 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

merit’s hesitation, and Mme. de Beaudesir rose as if to 
leave the room. 

“ It will be less awkward to receive your guardian alone 
— will it not, dearest?” asked she, in the caressing voice 
she always adopted toward her young hostess. 

“ No — stay, please. I had rather—” murmured Kegina; 
and as the confused murmur of her voice died away, the 
silken curtain of the door-way was pushed aside, and I’hilip 
Douglass entered the room, stern, pule, and reserved. 
Kegina glanced into his face, and timidly held out her 
hand. 

“ I am so glad that you have come, signor,” said she. 

“ It is some time since we parted at Elmslee, Miss Tem- 
pest,” replied her guardian, significantly. 

“ This lady is my friend, Madame la Marquise de Beau- 
desir, signor; and, dear Donna Bella, this is my guardian, 
Mr. Philip Douglass,” said Regina, naively seeking to 
avert the reproof she foresaw by calling Douglass’s atten- 
tion to the presence of a stranger. 

Mme. de Beaudesir acknowledged the introduction by a 
graceful salutation, and the rwA'e by a quiet smile. Doug- 
lass returned the salutation, and understood the smile. 
Perhaps it softened his mood a little; but few things had 
power to change a settled purpose in his mind. 

He seated himself, and for some moments listened to the 
small-talk of his companions, barely joining it so far as 
courtesy required. At last, upon some allusion of Mme. 
de Beaudesir’s to ocean life, he turned to Regina with the 
observation: 

“ You have made more than one voyage since we met. 
Miss Tempest. I shall be glad to hear an account of your 
adventures to-morrow morning, if you are not intending 
to leave home again before then. At present 1 will bid you 
good-night. Good-night, madame.” 

“ Oh, stay, Philip!”, exclaimed Regina, springing to her 
feet, and laying a detaining hand upon the young man’s 
arm. ” Stay, and let me tell you to-night! It is so hard 
to know that you are angry with me, and my dear Donna 
Bella knows all the story. She loves me already, and 1 
love her so dearly that I have no secrets from her. Oh, 
signor, if you have a reproof for me, give it now.” 

“ I shall be glad to see you at ten o’clock to-morrow 
morning, Miss Tempest,” replied Douglass, coldly. “ And 


\ QUEEK TEMPEST. 175 

\t is your desire to ask Madame de Beaiidesir to be present 
at the interview, 1 can not object. Once more, ladies, L 
wismyou good-night. 

AnS, with a polite but ceremonious bow, he was gone. 
Regin^ stood for one moment as he had left her, one hand 
extended, her lips parted, her eyes full of tears, then 
turned and flung herself in passionate abandon upon her 
cushions. The next moment a gentle hand was laid upon 
her head, and sinking down beside her, Mme. de Beaudesir 
drew the weeping girl to her bosom. 

“ Fy, mignonne ! Crying like this because that ulgy 
bear is too surly to scold you to-night instead of to-mor- 
row?^’ 

“ He is no surly bear, Donna Bella! He is my best, my 
truest friend. I would die rather than know him so angry 
as he is.” 

“ And why, 'petite ? Because you fear him so much?” 

“No, madame; 1 fear nothing and nobody,” replied 
Queen Tempest, with a flash of the spirit that had seemed 
drowned in tears. 

“ Then, petite, it is worse than fear; it is love. No 
woman cares thus much for a man’s anger unless she 
either fears or loves him. And you, too, who live here a 
little queen, as you have yourself told me, why need you 
tremble and weep before any Monsieur Douglass, guardian 
though he be? He will not beat you.” 

“ Either fear or love!” murmured Regina to herself, 
unheeding all her companion’s later words. “ Is that true? 
Do I either fear or love him? Oh, it is not fear, it never 
can be fear, and yet I am quite sure that it is not love. I 
wish to-morrow were here! Darling Donna Bella, may I 
be very rude, and bid you good-night?” 

“ Surely, dear child,” replied the lady, with the sweet 
yet sad smile that seemed habitual to her face. “ And I 
too will retire. You know you have promised that I shall 
sleep in this wonderful haunted chamber of yours.” 

“The green chamber? Yes, if you' wish; but it is a 
horrible place! I will never enter it again,” said Regina, 
turning pale and trembling visibly. 

“lam not afraid, dear child. Neither spirits of the de- 
parted, nor ruffians still alive are likely to harm me, and I 
am curious in such matters,” said the marquise, carelessly; 
and Regina summoning Aunty Bee, delivered over the 


176 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


lady to her charge to be conducted to the green chamber J 
while poor old Aunty Mome, terribly saddened by the sud- 
den loss of Topaz, her last surviving relative, replaced her 
as best she might at the toilet of her young mistress, who, 
sad and abstracted, hardly seemed to see or heed her. 

Home, also more silent than her wont, performed her 
duties quickly, made a minute investigation of all the 
rooms, tried the doors, and the locks of the window-blinds, 
then laid down at the threshold of her mistress's bedroom, 
muttering: 

“ The worst of it all is, that now the Frenchman is dead, 
bolts and bars can't keep him out, and it would be just like 
his ugliness to come and haunt us. " 


CHAPTER XXXIl. 

THE BROKEN LEASH. 

Ten o'clock struck, and, punctual to the moment, 
Antonio threw open the door of the boudoir, announcing: 

“ Mas'r Douglass!" 

Regina, dressed to receive her guest with a minute care 
and elegance, rose from her low chair and mutely extended 
her hand. 

Douglass coolly touched it, then seated himself, glancing 
as he did so toward the conservatory, through whose open 
doors the graceful figure of Mme. de Beaudesir could be 
seen flitting about among the flowers, an auditor and spec- 
tator, yet not necessarily a sharer in the scene. Regina, 
moved by the same nervous terror of her guardian's reproof 
which she had so strongly evinced upon the preceding 
evening, had besought her friend to remain with her; but 
madame was a French woman — that is to say, a woman of 
tact — and the utmost concession that Regina could gain 
was a promise that the marquise would not leave the 
apartments while Douglass remained in them._ 

“ And if he offers to beat you, I will run to stop him, 
you may be very sure," laughed she, releasing herself from 
Regina's clinging arms, and strolling away into the con- 
servatory just as Antonio threw open the doors. 

“ It is a lovely day, signor, is it not? Hav^e you ridden 
to-day? I hope you found Moro quite safe and well?" be- 
gan Regina. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 17? 

\ “ Moro is safe and well, and I rode several miles before 
sunrise,” replied Douglass, gravely. 

And then fell a moment of terrible silence, during which 
Regina's colorless face grew slowly red as the roses in her 
hair, then pallid again to its own calla-lily hue; her fingers, 
trembling in their own despite, played nervously with the 
tassels of her muslin morning-robe, and her eyes seemed 
fixed forever on the floor. 

Douglass was the first to speak, and he did so gravely, 
yet not unkindly. 

“ At last, Regina, I have an opportunity to ask, and you 
to give, an explanation of much that has occurred since I 
bid you what I supposed to be a brief farewell in my 
mother's house at Elinslee. Did you contemplate your 
clandestine return to Cuba at that time?" 

“ Yes, signor." 

“ Then it was deliberate deceit, not sudden impulse. I 
am sorry to be made certain upon this point. Next, please 
to inform me how you obtained the money for your jour- 
ney?" 

“ Topaz got it." 

“ Got it from where?" 

“ 1 don't exactly know. She said it was mine, and she 
only borrowed it for awhile. " 

“You don't exactly know?'’ repeated Douglass, severe- 
ly. “ Please to explain that phrase. Where do you sup- 
pose she got it?" 

“ I suppose it was some money that you had left at 
home, signor. I have no clearer idea, upon my honor." 

“ It was' money stolen from my mother's desk, Miss 
Tempest — money belonging exclusively to her, and upon 
which you had no more claim than upon that of any man 
passing the house. That act might have sent whoever 
perpetrated it to the House of Correction; and my family 
are at this moment fully convinced that the thief was Miss 
Tempest, either in person or through the agency of her 
maid." 

“ Mr. Douglass!" 

And Queen Tempest raised her head haughtily enough; 
but, as her eyes met the stern and steady regard of her 
guardian, they wavered, drooped and filled with tears. 

Douglass proceeded : 


178 QUEET^ TEMPES1\ 

“ Next inform me how you traveled from Elmslee to 
New York?’^ 

“ Topaz was dressed as a man — ” 

“ And did not you also seek this modest and feminine 
disguise?’^ 

“ No, signor; she played that 1 was her wife,"' said the 
young girl, in a tone at once so disconsolate and so simple 
that Douglass smiled in spite of himself. 

“ Under what name did you and your play-husband 
travel?" 

“ Velasquez, signor." 

“Ah!" murmured Douglass, understanding how his 
telegram and detective had been foiled — but by whom? 
“Who planned that arrangement? Who helped you cari^ 
it out?" asked he, sharply. 

“ Mr. Plumleigh, signor," said Regina, blushing vio- 
lently. 

“ What? That man? So you took him into your con- 
fidence, made him a party to your flight from your only 
friends, put yourself in his power, invited his insults, and 
finally brought him to your own house and domesticated 
him here, with only servants besides you two in the house! 
Really, Miss Tempest, tliis is far worse than 1 imagined. 

If 1 had known so much upon the night of my arrival, I 
should certainly have behaved very diSerently toward Mr. 
Plumleigh. I do not really see that the man is at all to 
blame. W^hatever insult he offered you had ample war- 
rant in your own conduct."’ 

“ Signor! signor! You kill me! Oh, forbear!" sobbed 
Regina, one hand pressed upon her streaming eyes, the 
other piteously extended toward Douglass. But he was 
merciless. 

“And was your second flight also made in Mr. Plum- - 
leigh's company?" asked he, in a tone of biting sarcasm. 
“It is really unfortunate that the man has a wife and 
family in Boston — a fact which 1 happen to know. But 
perhaps you consider that no obstacle to your passion." 

The Marquise de Beaudesir at this moment stepped smil- 
ingly from the door of the conservatory to one of the tables 
of the boudoir, took up a book, and returned to her retreat,, 
returning Mr. Douglass's ceremonious bow with a saluta- 
tion as elegant, but far more graceful. The reminder of 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


179 


her presence was not lost, and the young guardian’s next 
^vor(is were less severely spoken. 

“ Where did you go the morning after my arrival, 
Regina? Will you be so good as to give me the story in 
full?” 

But the torrent of the young creole’s feelings was not so 
easily to be stemmed. Sobbing and weeping convulsively, 
she rose, and groping her way toward Douglass, fell upon 
her knees beside him, her hands clasped and extended, her 
regal head bowed upon her breast in an agony of shame, 
her voice choked and broken. 

“ Oh, signor, signor! unsay it, or you will kill me! Oh, 
say you do not believe me so vile as your words would 
make me! Say you do not believe me like that! Oh, sign- 
or, I wish 1 had died before you said those words, for 1 
never, never, never can forget them!” 

Douglass hesitated, glanced toward the conservatory, 
where now appeared no moving figure, whence now issued 
the distant rustle of turning leaves, implying that the un- 
seen auditor was absorbed in her book, then down at the 
kneeling, or rather crouching figure at his feet, drew back 
a little, looked again, and suddenly laid his arm about that 
drooping figure, and drew it to his breast. 

“Regina! I believe nothing evil of you, poor child! 
There, there; do not cry so, dear. I spoke too severely. 
1 implied more than 1 ever believed. Don’t cry so, dear — 
don’t! Do you want to make me feel very badly — very 
much ashamed of my own cruelty?” 

“ No; I never want to make you feel badly, Philip; but 
1 did when 1 behaved so,” murmured the lips bidden upon 
his breast; and Philip, drawing the lovely head yet a little 
closer, smiled proudly, as the sweet and intoxicating in- 
cense of this submissive love from a creature but now so 
untamed and haughty, rose to his brain. 

One moment, and then the tide of memory, of honor, of 
habit, swept up and scattered the sweet, delirious dream. 

Gently removing the young girl’s clinging arm, gently 
putting her from him, and raising her to her feet, Douglass 
reseated her in her^chair and stood before her. 

“ And now, Regina, now that guardian and ward are 
once more friends, we must go on with the explanation. 
Tell me where you have been for the last three days.” 

Regina wiped h^r eyes and sat upright as suddenly and 


180 


^UEEN TEMPEST. 


as rigidly as if she had been frozen by his breath. Open- 
ing her splendid eyes to their -brightest width, she flashed 
one glance of scornful reproach upon her guardian, then, 
in a voice as cold and proud as he had ever heard from her 
lips, she began her' story from the hour of Topaz’s disap- 
pearance, and the treacherous errand of Muerto, and told 
the whole steadily, distinctly, and without emotion. When 
she had finished, Douglass, who, during the last few mo- 
ments, had been pacing the room, his hands clasped be- 
hind him, his eyes cast down, stopped before her, and said : 

“ You were not to blame in this last adventure, Regina; 
and I have no fault to find with you. If Doctor Lefevre 
had survived, the law would have taken hold of this as 
well as some other of his ofienses, pretty severely. But he 
is dead, and we will say no more of him. Topaz, too — her 
early and violent death must wipe away the memory of acts 
which, had she lived, I should have been disposed to view 
very severely. But she loved you, I verily believe, and she 
served you as well, perhaps, as her savage nature sug- 
gested. And so, Regina, all this is over, and you will re- 
turn with me to Elmslee, and submit yourself to a quiet 
and studious life, with Louisa for your companion, and my 
mother for your guide and counselor.” 

“ And you, signor?” asked Regina, in a low voice, and 
without raising her eyes. 

“ My business keeps me constantly in motion. 1 shall 
be at Elmslee, in Boston, in Havana, as circumstances dic- 
tate.” 

“ But Miss Vere? You will marry her?” 

“ Certainly, Regina. The wedding-day is appointed. ” 

“ When?” 

“ Soon after jour return.” 

“ Oe<r/eturn?” exclaimed the girl, in a slow and scorn- 
ful accent. “ And where will your wife live, Mr. Doug- 
lass?” 

“ At Elmslee, for the present.” 

“And you propose, signor, to leave me to the lonely 
monotony of that house, with your mpther, who sends me 
to sleep, and your sister, w^ho wearies me, and your wife, 
whom I — hate — yes, hate, signor— -for companions! Well, 
then, hear what i have to^say: 1 will not go unless you 
carry me by force; and so surely as you do that I will kill 


QUEEIf TEMPEST, . 


181 


either myself or that cold, white image whom you love 
before I have been a day in the house with her. 

Douglass stood for a moment^ speechless with astonish- 
ment and indignation, his eyes fixed upon the fiery, pallid 
face and tense-strung form of the young girl, while words 
of terrible reproof and withering rebuke rose to his lips; 
but — how it came about he never knew — when the lips 
opened, and the rebuke should have been spoken, the only 
words that issued forth were: 

“ Kegina! my poor, poor child 

It was enough. The revulsion was as complete as it was 
sudden. With one spring she flung herself into his arms, 
while her own wound close about his neck; and her head 
once more hidden upon his breast, she passionately sobbed: 

“ Oh, Philip, I love you so! I love you so that 1 can 
not bear it. 1 can not see her your wife. I can not live 
and endure to see it. Oh, my love! my lord! light of my 
eyes and pulse of my heart! Oh, Philip, Philip!’^ 

And what were the words the young man murmured in 
the ear so close to his lips.^ What wise and cold reproof 
did Clara Vere’s lover offer to this girl who, had threatened 
murder or suicide if he should fulfill his solemn vows? 
Ah, human nature! Man^s heart! The fiery, honeyed im- 
pulses of youth! For one moment heaven and earth passed 
away, and to those two madly beating hearts paradise 
opened and closed therein; the next moment, and from the 
door of the conservatory came a clear, icy, courteous voice: 

“ Can 1 speak to you a moment, Kegina, my dear?’^ 

The lovers, for such at least for that one delirious mo- 
ment we must call them, started asunder, and while Doug- 
lass walked abruptly to the window and stood drumming 
upon the sash and trying hard to control the wild impulses 
that for the first time in his life had broken loose from the 
control of principle and honor, Regina, less ashamed, less 
self-condemning, and, from her sex and youth, more eager 
for sympathy than afraid of condemnation, ran to her 
friend and clung about her neck, weeping, blushing, and 
wordless. Mme. de Beaudesir tenderly soothed her for a 
moment, then led her gently into the bed-chamber, drop- 
ping the curtain as she passed the arched door-way. A 
few moments later the curtain stirred again, and the mar- 
quise appeared alone. Going straight toward Douglass, 


182 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


who still stood leaning upon the window-casing,- she said, 
in the same coldly courteous voice she had before used: 

“ Can monsieur spare me a few moments’ attention?” 

“ Certainly, madame!” exclaimed the young man, 
starting, and turning his flushed and frowning face toward 
the speaker. 

“ Monsieur will, I trust, pardon what may appear to 
him an impertinence, but I should be glad to inquire if it 
is true that he is betrothed to a lady of his own country. ” 

“ It is quite true, madame.” 

“ And monsieur intends to hold to that compact?” 

“ Assuredl}^ madame. I am to be married within a 
month of my return home.” 

“ Then, monsieur, allow me to assume the r61e of in- 
quisitor, which you have so admirably sustained during a 
portion of the last hour, and inquire what relations you 
propose to sustain toward Mademoiselle Tempest?” 

“ I propose, madame, to sustain the relation of guardian 
toward her; and for that position, with amplest power and 
privileges, I have the warrant of Colonel Tempest’s own 
wish, both expressed by him upon his death-bed and writ- 
ten in his will. May I inquire, with all possible deference 
and respect, if Madame de Beaudesir has as good a title to 
play the role of inquisitor?” 

“You are angry, monsieur, as a good man and a 
self-confident man suddenly betrayed into folly must of 
course be; but 1 patiently answer the question you so 
scornfully ask, and say. Yes, I have as good a right to 
watch over and protect this young girl’s heart, and honor, 
and life as you have to destroy them; for I am her dead 
mother’s sister, and Regina’s only surviving relative.” 

“ You can not take her out of my hands, madame, 'if 
you were twice her aunt!” exclaimed Douglass, passion- 
ately. “ Her father himself gave her into my care.” 

“ And did not know that he placed his lamb in charge 
of the wolf,” replied the marquise, coldly. “ But the law 
of God stands before that of man, monsieur, and you shall 
neither break this child’s heart nor make shipwreck of her 
honor and your own, if act or word of mine can prevent.” 

For a long, long time these two— the spirited, high- 
bred woman and the strong, determined man — stood look- 
ing at each other in silence, as two duelists stand with 


QUEEK tempest. 


183 


rapiers unsheathed, measuring each his opponent before 
the duel begins. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

DESIKEE. 

As might have been expected, the lady was the first to 
break the awkward silence, and she did this in a manner 
most unexpected by her antagonist. 

Frankly extending her hand, she said: 

“ Everything suggests, monsieur, that we two should 
become allies. Let us not run the risk of defeating such 
a happy fortune by insisting upon becoming enemies.^* 
And Douglass had no choice but to accept the hand so 
confidently extended, and to murmur an acceptance of the 
treaty of alliance so pleasantly proposed, adding, however: 

“I must nevertheless repeat, Madame de Beaudesir, 
that I consider my authority as Miss Tempest^s guardian 
still intact, and shall decidedly oppose any conflicting in- 
fluence, even though it be vested in Miss TempesPs aunt. ” 
“ We will raise no question of authority, monsieur,'^ re- 
plied the lady, guardedly. “For 1 am certain that my 
late brother-in-law would never have reposed such trust 
and conveyed such powers to any but a man of proven 
honor and steadfast integrity. The late little scene — ” 

“ Will never be repeated, madame,^^ interposed Doug- 
lass, a flush of mortification and annoyance rising to his 
brow. “ My feelings for the moment escaped control. 
Now that 1 know of their existence, I can govern, subdue, 
perhaps destroy them.^' 

“ But Regina’s?^^ asked madame, softly. 

“ I can control them as well,^^ replied Douglass, quickly. 
The marquise smiled doubtfully, and Douglass, after a 
brief pause, was about to leave the room, when she detained 
him by a gesture, and said in a low, rapid voice: 

“ Wait for me in the drawing-room, monsieur.'^ 
Douglass replied by a bow of unconcealed surprise, and 
left the room. Mme. de Beaudesir at the same moment 
entered the bed-chamber, where she found Regina, half- 
reclined upon a low couch, her cheek resting in her palm, 
and her eyes full of a tender dream only half dispelled by 
the entrance of her friend, who, coming close to her, 
quietly said : 


184 


Qrr,EX Tr.MrT'sr, 

“lam going to talk a little with this stern guardian of 
yours about the music and drawing-lessons I recommend-' 
ed. Will you spare me for a little while?’’ 

“ Oh, certainly, Donna Bella— only I can not go to live 
in the house with that ice-woman.” 

“ Your guardian’s future wife, darling?” 

“ Miss Clara Vere.” 

“ Ah, well, petite, we have not to decide that this morn- 
ings and so au revoir.^^ 

“ Att revoir, dear lady,” murmured Kegina, and, before 
the marquise had left the room, lapsed again into that 
sweet, intoxicating dream which is love’s triumph, without 
love’s sorrow, and trial, and anguish. 

In the drawing-room waited Douglass, and Mme. de 
Beaudesir, approaching him with a smile, beckoned him to 
a seat beside her before she said : 

“ Do not look so startled, monsieur, lest you convict 
me, to my own mind, of having disregarded the proprie- 
ties in requesting this interview with you.” 

“lam most happy, madame — ” 

“ Ah, yes, monsieur; you look more than happy; but 1 
will hasten to explain myself. [I have already told you that 
1 am the sister of Regina’s mother; but this avowal was in 
a manner surprised from me by the agitation of the mo- 
ment, just as an avowal of certain feelings was surprised 
from you, monsieur, a few moments previously.” 

At this reminder Philip would have spoken, but was re- 
strained by a warning gesture from the marquise. 

“ Pardon, monsieur — I intended no offense — but the 
two indiscretions naturally coupled themselves in my 
mind, and 1 spoke as frankly as I thought. Well, then, ! 
have not as yet avowed this relationship even to Regina, 
nor did 1 intend doing so at present. Now, however, I 
will, if you please, tell you the whole story, partly because 
you are the guai:dian of my niece, and, in a manner, mas- 
ter of this house, and partly because, monsieur, 1 need 
your help and counsel. ” 

“ Both of which are at your service, madame.” 

“ If only, monsieur, you could lay aside that judicial 
look, which I no longer wonder terrified my poor Regina 
out of her senses, and drove her to acts of obvious in- 
sanity. ” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


185 


** Madame was about to do me the honor to confide — 

“ Yes, monsieur, I accept the rebuff and continue, or, 
rather, I commence a family history which may at the first 
seem a little wearisome, but which is nevertheless quite 
necessary. Understand, then*, monsieur, that although De 
Beaudesir by marriage, I am by birth De Marmontel, and 
the younger of two sisters— the elder, called Desiree de 
Marmontel, being mother to Regina Tempest. You no 
doubt already know, monsieur, that in France young ladies 
do not marry as in America, and perhaps England, from 
their own fancies and the men of their own choice, but are 
sold to the highest bidder by their parents; and to be 
sold at all, must be provided with a dot or dower an- 
swering in some measure to the means of the expectant 
husband. The girls not thus provided for become nuns — 
that is to say, very many of them do— and give to Heaven 
the reluctant vows they would so gladly bestow upon a 
fellow-mortal. Among these unwilling brides of Heaven 
the will of our parents enrolled my poor sister Desiree; for 
the Marmontels, noble and haughty as the proudest of 
their peers, were, alas! as poor as they were proud, and not 
One livre, not one sou, of the scanty revenue remaining to 
them was to be spared for Desiree’s dot. 

“ She was accordingly entered at seventeen in the Con- 
vent of the Sacred Heart as a novice, but yet not novice 
enough to leave without a sigh the i^leasures of the world, 
at which she had but glanced, and yet in that glance had 
read her fate. How, 1 know not; for this story comes to 
me in fragments and from different sources; but in some 
manner Desiree had met in the church attached to the con- 
vent where she had been educated a young man, this 
same Colonel Tempest whom you-knew^, but whom 1 never 
saw. 

“ How far the acquaintance went I do not know, neither 
can 1 tell whether Colonel Tempest ever made any attempt 
to obtain the consent of my parents to a marriage with 
Desiree; but 1 doubt much whether such consent would 
have been given; for while both my father and my mother 
were zealous Catholics, and quite under the control of 
Father Ansel mo, their confessor. Colonel Tempest was a 
heretic, or perhaps an infidel. At any rate, the sacrifice 
was offered up, and my poor Desiree became a novice, with 
the prospect at the year’s end of being entombed alive be.- 


186 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

neath the black veil and the rigid disciidine of a nun pro- 
fessed. 

, “ Before her novitiate was accomplished, however — and 
just here is the point of the whole story — before Desiree 
had become a nun and lost the possibility of marriage, her 
lover stole her from the convent. All sorts of scandal were 
whispered among the few who heard of this escapade; 
but let us trust, monsieur, that my late brother-in-law was 
a man of honor, and that my sister was incapable of for- 
getting either her noble blood or the obligations of woman- 
hood. I, for one, believe that they were married, and that 
the ceremony was performed some time before Desiree fled 
from the convent; for at the time of that flight she was 
soon to become a mother; and it was fear of discovery that 
induced them to precipitate measures in this manner, in- 
stead of waiting for the end of my sister^s novitiate, when 
she might have declared her determination not to accept 
the veil. 

“ They fled, and here the story, as 1 received it from old 
Agathe, my mother ^s woman, becomes obscure; for, if my 
mother knew, she never told even this confidential servant 
the story of poor Desiree’s brief married life; and at the 
time I 'heard it, my mother had been for a year in her 
grave. Of my own knowledge 1 know nothing, for young 
girls in France are held incapable of knowing anything; 
and, besides, 1 was at my own convent, where I was educated 
for Monsieur de Beaudesir, who was content to place my 
youth and good looks against my poverty, and consider the 
balance in his favor. 

“ It was only after my marriage and my mother’s death 
that Agathe ventured to tell me this history, at which, in- 
deed, she could but guess, in many particulars, although 
the most important facts were communicated to my mother 
by Father Anselmo, and by her to Agathe. 

“ P’rom this account, it appears that a short time after 
the birth of Desiree’s child (our Regina, you understand), 
her retreat was betrayed to the church— betrayed, as I sus- 
pect, by the French doctor who attended upon the poor 
young mother, although what his motive might be remains a 
mystery. At any rate, the retreat was betrayed, and dur- 
ing Colonel Tempest’s temporary absence from home, his 
wife was induced, upon some pretense, to leave her home, 
and never returned to it. Certain forged letters and in- 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 187 

genious lies were prepared to induce the hot-tempered West 
Indian to believe that the woman who bad once forgotten 
herself for him had fallen yet another step in the scale of 
self-respect, and had forgotten him for another; in fact, 
that she was a guilty and worthless creature whom pride 
and wounded love alike urged him to forget and abandon 
as soon as possible. Doubtless the advice of the French- 
man, whose name Agathe had forgotten, if she ever knew, 
was not wanting to urge on his deluded patron to the 
course into which it was the interest of the traitor to lead 
him. And, monsieur, is it not strange how completely a 
clever knave can lead one of these great, blundering, hot- 
headed, honest people by the nose, and they never suspect 
that they are led? 

“ Colonel Tempest, with his child, his child^s nurse — a 
woman called Coralie— and his evil genius in the shape of 
the doctor, set sail for Cuba without delay; and of their 
further history Agathe knew nothing. 

“ My poor Desiree, delivered into the hands of her 
offended Mother Church, was still more effectually hidden 
from knowledge or sight of man than if she too had crossed 
the ocean. I do not like to think. Monsieur Douglass, of 
this poor child, torn from all she loved, bewildered, fright- 
ened, defenseless, and given up to the cruel discipline of 
the convent. 1 am a good Catholic, 1, but they are not 
tender in these convents, either of body or feelings, and my 
sister had offended and mortified them grievously. 

“ She took the veil within a week of her return to the 
Sacred Heart, and she died within two years, while yet her 
little Regina was a baby too young to know that she was 
motherless. 

“ So far the story is an inheritance; now 1 come to that 
which I know of my own experience, but which you will 
probably find more incredible than my hearsay history. 

“ Three years ago my husband died, my parents both 
being dead before, and 1 was left quite alone in the world. 
It was in the first year of my widowhood that one night 1 
wakened suddenly from a profound sleep, with the impres- 
sion of some one standing beside my bed, and as I started 
up 1 seemed to see the figure of a young woman, although 1 
did not then perceive her face. This apparition — for it 
was no less — returned at intervals for all that year, and 
although it never remained more than a minute at a time. 


188 


QUEEN- TEMPEST. 


aud although 1 obtained only the most shadowy glimpses 
of its face, I soon learned— how, I know not — to call it 
Desiree, and to welcome its coming, not without some dis- 
quiet, but still with a certain delight; for, monsieur, this 
pale, fleeting ghost was all Unrt remained to me on earth 
of kindred, or love, or natural ties, and I loved it; yes, 
strange as such words may sound, I loved it tenderly. 
But, meantime, my health, always delicate, was -failing 
more and more, and at last the physicians sent me to 
Madeira. I lived there a year, and gained much benefit 
from the climate; but Paris or Madeira, sick or well, it all 
made no difference to Desiree; still she clung to me, as if 
she too felt the bond of sisterhood ; and as the terror of her 
presence wore away by custom, we seemed to grow even 
nearer together, and I felt sure at times that she spoke to 
me, if only 1 could have understood her, or detached her 
and what she said from the deep slumber out of which 1 
always started to the consciousness of her presence; and 
although she invariably seemed to be just vanishing as I 
awoke, I imbibed the idea that she remained with me for 
long periods while I slept, and only departed, or seemed 
to depart, when the grosser body resumed sway over the 
spiritual part of my being. 

“ At last there came a night when 1 was able to distin- 
guish words, or rather, when the meaning of the ghost’s 
wordless speech translated itself to my brain. 

“ ‘ Go to Esperauza,’ it said, ‘ and sleep in the green 
chamber, for Regina's sake!’ 

“1 woke trembling, affrighted, bathed in icy dews, feel- 
ing as if my own soul had been dragged from its body to 
meet on equal terms this disembodied spirit which had 
made itself understood. 

“ I repeated over and over again these phrases, so full 
of meaning, yet of meaning so hidden from me, for I knew 
not Esperanza, or Regina, or the green chamber. 

“ For several weeks I remained in this condition of un- 
certainty, almost of terror, for the spirit of Desiree was 
always with me, always repeating, in those tones of entreaty 
and command: 

“ ‘ Go to Esperanza, and sleep in the green chamber, 
for Regina’s sake.’ 

“ At last, one night, it seemed to me as if I had power 
for the moment to detain the shadowy and dissolving form. 


QUEE^r TEMPEST. 


189 


even after 1 was thoroughly awake; the same old words 
were ringing in my ears, and, with a terrible effort, I 
answered them: 

“ ‘ I will go, my sister; but whither? Where is Espe- 
ranza?' 

“ ‘ Go to Cuba — to Esperanza — to my Regina! Help 
her! Save her! Save my darling, for I can not,^^ mur- 
mured the ghost; and as she stooped above me 1 swooned 
with agitation and terror. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE CLOSET OF THE GREEN CHAMBER. 

“ It so chanced,^^ continued Mme. de Beaudesir, after 
a brief pause, during which Douglass preserved a thought- 
ful and somewhat incredulous silence, “ that at the mo- 
ment of which 1 speak, a Spanish war-vessel lay in the 
harbor of Funchal, bound for Havana. 1 had met the 
captain several times at the house of the commandant, 
and found him a gallant and honorable gentlemen, court- 
eous withal, and so eager to oblige, that I had no hesita- 
tion in requesting him to give myself and my maid a 
passage to Havana, whither 1 felt now impelled by some 
power stronger -than my own will, and in such haste that 
the idea of waiting indefinitely for the chance arrival of 
some trading-vessel was intolerable to me. 

“ Captain Gomez was more than pleased at the prospect 
of a guest, and the presence on board of the wife of one of 
the under-officers smoothed away even the suspicion of im- 
propriety. We embarked, and after a delightful voyage 
entered the harbor of Havana in the night, and by the 
earliest light of morning discovered, intercepted, and took 
possession of the smuggler or slaver, I hardly know which, 
on board of which my niece, Regina, was held captive. 

“ She has told you the story of her presence on board 
the ‘ Esmeralda,^ and from what she says, I make no doubt 
of the identity of this Doctor Lefevre with the villain who 
betrayed my poor sister, and I am certain rendered Colonel 
Tempest^s life one of bitterness and remorse. The impulse 
of tenderness which opened my arms to Regina when I first 
beheld her was augmented to a profound love the moment 
I discovered her identity; but although I caressed her freely, 


190 


QXJEEK TEMPEST. 


and even avowed my new-born tenderness with the utmost 
frankness, 1 did not tell her who 1 was, preferring to wait 
until I should discover, as I knew 1 should, why I had been 
sent hither. Also, Monsieur Douglass, I waited for you.^^ 
“ For me, madame!^^ 

“ Yes, for you. Almost in the first hour of unrestrained 
intercourse with my niece, I discovered, through her own 
artless confessions, how large a place you filled in her life, 
how important was your sanction to her movements, how 
much she, who feared nothing else, feared your disap- 

E roval. I was sure, monsieur, that I should find in you 
oth a powerful and an intelligent ally, and I waited.” 

“ For what did you wait, madame? In what can 1 be 
your ally?” asked Douglass, in a troubled and gloomy 
voice. 

Incredible as it may seem, Regina’s guardian and most 
disinterested friend was by no means pleased at discovering 
a relation for his ward, especially one wealthy, determined, 
and affectionate. Was this selfishness? Ah! when was 
love other than the subtlest and most deceptive form of 
selfishness? And yet who that loves will acknowledge the 
truth, or yet dare deny the truth of my statement? 

“ I will tell you in what you shall be my ally. Monsieur 
Douglass,^’ replied the marquise, whose keen dark eyes, 
were reading every phase of the young man’s mood. 
“ You shall help me in opening a door.” 

“ In opening a door, madame!” 

“Yes. Listen. My first business, after inducing my 
niece to invite me to Esperanza, was to discover the green 
chamber, and this was not difficult, especially when I had 
made the old woman who attended me talk of the family 
and house she served. Then I told Regina that, hearing 
she possessed a ghost chamber, I needs must try its won- 
ders for myself. She consented, not without some diffi-’ 
culty; and last night, monsieur, I slept in the green cham- 
ber.” 

“ And what did you see or hear there, madame?” 

“You ask with half a sneer, but I answer you as 
solemnly as on my death-bed I will answer the priest who 
asks me of my past sins. I saw the spirit of my sister, 
Desiree, as distinctly as I now see you; yes, and more dis- 
tinctly, for between us was no shadow of doubt or incredu- 
.Hy/' 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


191 


“ I assure yoii, madame — " 

“ Excuse me, monsieur. I understand perfectly what 
you would say, and also what you think, and I will go on, 
if you please, with my story. My sister, Desiree, stood at 
my bedside all through the night, and I, even through the 
lethargic sleep which possessed me, was fully aware of her 
presence, and well content to have her near me. In the 
first gray of morning 1 awoke, and still she stood beside 
me, smiling and serene, as 1 had never seen her before. 

“‘Come!’ whispered she, beckoning with her hand; 
and, like one moving in a dream, 1 arose from my bed 
and followed her. 

“ All down the long, dim chamber she moved, with a 
slow and wavy motion, unlike any human motion what- 
ever; down the long room, in the vague morning twilight, 
did she pass, until, arriving at a^ great Indian screen 
shielding the furthest corner of the place, she disappeared 
behind it. 1 followed, my heart beating until it almost 
suffocated me. She, Desiree, stood not six feet distant 
from me, one hand laid upon the panels of a door close be- 
fore her, the other extended imploringly toward me. Even 
as I looked she disappeared, whether through that door 
or whether melting into impalpable air, I can not say; all 
is, she was there, and again she was gone. As the last 
cloudy fold of her draperies disappeared, a sudden unac- 
countable terror seized upon me; it was so much more 
awful to know that she was there somewhere— it might be 
close beside me, it might be close behind — than it was to 
see her iii bodily presence. Ah, yes, that was fearful! and 
like a foolish child, I ran to hide myself in the bed, putting 
my fingers in my ears, and covering my head with the bed- 
clothes, in sheer abject terror. 

“ At last the broad daylight, and then the entrance of 
the woman — Bee they call her, I think— reassured and 
aroused me. My own woman, I should have told you, is 
still lying ill of her ship-sickness, and so Bee supplied her 
place.*" As she dressed me I talked, and by and by I asked 
her to hang my dresses in that closet, pointing to the door 
behind the screen. 

“ ‘ Ah, mistress, that is no closet!’ said she, trembling, 
and rolling her great ugly eyes toward the door. 

“ ‘ What, then?* demanded T; and after much trouble, 
I made her say that, although there might be a closet b(v 


m 


QUEElSr TEMPEST. 


hiad that door, it was not a closet for me or for any one, 
and that it had been locked up and disused for fifteen 
years, at least, and that, if it should once be opened, all 
sorts of horrors would issue out, and destroy not alone 
the rash invader, but every one in the house. In fact, my 
poor old negress was evidently convinced that in this closet 
the ghost of the green chamber had made its special abid- 
ing-place, and that to disturb it was far worse than to 
disturb the grave of the quiet dead, inasmuch as a ghost 
knows how to revenge itself, and a corpse is purely passive. 

“ Ah, monsieur, my ghostly jests, my. light tone shock 
and surprise you; but we women, we suffer so much, our 
nerves become so overstrained, our sensibilities are so often 
and so rudely shocked, that almost all of us end in levity, 
just purely to save ourselves from melancholy madness. 

“ Well, then, this Aunty Bee is the housekeeper, and 
she will not hear of opening the door of that closet; and of 
course 1 can not interfere with the other servants, even if 
I was willing to raise an insurrection by frightening them 
out of their wits, and I can not speak of the matter to 
Regina until I know all that I am to learn; so, as a last 
resource, Monsieur Douglass, I ^peal to you personally. 
Will you come with me, and break open the door of the 
closet in the green chamber?’’ 

“ But, madarne, allow me first to inquire, what do you^ 
expect to find there? What is your object in gaining ac- 
cess to that closet?” asked Douglass, doubtfully. 

“ Good heavens, monsieur! Have I not already told you 
that it was through that door the spirit of my sister van- 
ished, and that she beckoned me to follow whither she 
led ? Of course I must obey, or how shall I discover the 
secret that unhappy woman has wiled me across the world 
to confide to me?” 

“ Very well, Madame de Beaudesir. I can not pretend • 
to share your convictions, but I am ready to help you to 
test them, and 1 will go with you at once to the green 
chamber. I have keys of my own, one of which I*have 
no doubt will open this lock, probably of the simplest con- 
struction ; or if not, I will undertake both the responsibility 
and the labor of opening the door in a ruder fashion.” 

“ Thank you, monsieur. I did not vainly calculate 
upon your courage or your good nature. Let us go at 
once,” 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


19B 

And in another moment the two so strangely mated had 
crossed the hall, mounted the stairs, and' stood within the 
dim and ghostly precincts of the green chamber together. 

Mme. la Marquise, pale yet firm, led the way at once to 
the lower end of the room where, behind the Indian 
screen, stood the door so often attempted within the last 
few weeks, yet never conquered. 

Douglass turned the handle, then knelt and examined 
the key-hole attentively. 

“ Yes, a very rude lock, easily picked if we have no key 
to fit it,’^ said he; then from the pocket of his trousers 
this Yankee produced a bunch of keys, a knife with a 
stout file fitted into it, and a bit of wire neatly coiled, and 
its ends tipped with wax. 

“ One never knows what may be required when one is 
so far from home,^^ murmured he, half apologetically, as 
he caught the amused eyes of the marquise fixed upon his 
treasures. 

“ And yours is a nation of grand resources, monsieur, 
replied she, smoothly. Douglass said nothing; in fact, his 
thoughts were just then busy with the key he was inserting 
into the lock before him. It did not fit. Another no 
better. Another and another, until at last the file was 
brought into requisition, and applied so urgently to the 
wards of one of the refractory keys that Mme. de Beaudesir 
stopped her beautiful ears and set her little white teeth in 
horror. 

“ It is done, madame,^^ said Philip, coolly, as he again 
placed the key in the lock and turned it with an audible 
click. Then, with an inquiring look at madame, who was 
somewhat pale, he laid his hand upon the latch of the door. 

“ Open, open, monsieur!^'’ murmured the marquise. 

Douglass obeyed. The door so long unused resisted 
slightly, but yielded at last to the firm and vigorous force 
applied to it, turned creakingly upon its hinges and lay 
wide open. 

“ Enter, madame,^^ said the young man, standing aside. 
Without reply Mme. de Beaudesir crossed the threshold, 
and looked about her. She found herself in a large closet, 
or perhaps a small dressing-room, for it was fitted with 
shelves and presses, and an iron-barred window admitted a 
faint and dusky light. Some dresses still hung upon the 
pegs of the open wardrobe, and a baby^s little frock had 


104 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

fiillen upon the floor. At one side of the room stood a 
chest quaintly carved all over its surface with bird, and 
beast, and fr.uit, and flower, all in the rich barbaric style 
of the East, while its perfumed wood still exhaled a faint 
Oriental odor, strange and ghostly as the incense that arises 
from the burning mummies with which Egyptian travelers 
warm themselves to-day. 

“ The secret lies hidden in that chest, said Mme. de 
Beaudesir, when she had made the tour of the little cham- 
ber, and Douglass eagerly nodded assent. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE BKOKEN GIBBET. 

Half-way between Casa Blanca and Havana stands, at 
the junction of three roads, the ruined remnant of a gib- 
bet, disused since the introduction of the more merciful, 
if less picturesque, garrote. 

Toward this gibbet, in the sultry darkness of a tropical 
night, three figures were making their stealthy way — one 
from the direction of Havana, and two from that of the 
disreputable little smuggling town of Casa Blanca. The 
first mentioned was also the first at the rendezvous, and 
dismounting from his horse, he tied him to the trunk of a 
guava-tree at some distance from the gibbet, and seating 
himself at its foot, took off his hat to wipe his streaming 
brow, and allow the faint puffs of air stirring now and 
again to fan his heated face. That face — flushed and sen- 
sual, yet fair as a Cuban face is never fair — was that of 
John Plumleigh, and it was easy enough to perceive that 
the worthy man was engaged in some business which filled 
him at once with uneasiness and terror, not to mention a 
touch of shame which had the grace to manifest itself upon 
his coarse features. A moment later, and from the direc- 
tion of Casa Blanca was heard the sound of a rapid and 
measured footfall swiftly yet cautiously treading the flinty, 
uneven road, and pausing as it reached the broken gibbet. 

“ Ha!’^ cried Mr. Plumleigh, cautiously. 

“ Who goes there?^^ challenged the new-comer. 

“ It is I, doctor. All right. And rising heavily from 
the ground, the American approached the foot of the gib- 
bet, where stood a tall figure carefully wraj)ped in one of 


QtEEN TEMPEST. 


195 


those great Spanish cloaks which serve at once for disguise, 
ornament, warmth and shelter. 

“ All wrong, I should rather say, if you are thus impru- 
dent, monsieur,^ ^ growled this last personuge, lowering a 
fold of the cloak and displaying the gaunt and sallow feat- 
ures of Dr. Lefevre, rendered yet gaunter and more sallow 
by the faipine, concealment, and anxiety to which he had 
been for the last week a constant prey. 

“ Imprudent! How am 1 imprudent, doctor 

“ Calling out in that way as soon as you heard a step; 
and is not that a horse, yonder? You should have walked, 
horses neigh, and their track is easily traced out, and — 
But no matter. You got my letter?^^ 

“ Yes, and was most amazingly surprised at it. Why, 
everybody thinks you were drowned the other morning 
when the what^s-its-name took your little ‘ Esmeralda " 
prisoner. They all say that girl Topaz pushed you over, 
and you were both drowned. 

“ Like most of what * they ^ say, the story is both true 
and false,^^ replied the doctor, gloomily. “ That little 
witch did push me over, but she got her reward. I made 
sure of strangling her, then I clung to the chains wdth only 
my nose out of the water until the boat was out of sight, 
then climbed in at the cabin window, and hid myself in a 
place constructed for yet more valuable matter than my 
beautiful carcass. They took the schooner into Havana, 
and I escaped between two days, and made the best of my 
way to Casa Blanca, where 1 knew of a hiding-place and a 
devoted creature wdio would shelter my life with her own 
any day and to any extent. 8acristi, won ami ! what de- 
voted fools there are among women! and the worse one 
treats them the more devoted they become. 

“ Well, doctor, you wrote that you wanted to see me, 
and appointed this place, which I can not compliment as 
a very cheerful one. 

“ It^s cheerful enough, for this gibbet will never hang a 
man again, and I am always traveling in the shadow of a 
real gibbetr, upon which my friends the Judges would hang 
me very speedily, if only they could catch me. But you 
want to be informed of my business with you. Well, it is 
this: Once before, Mr. Plumleigh, 1 asked if you were fond 
of your compatriot, Philip Douglass, and you told me no, 


19(3 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


1 suggested a little plan for your adoption at that time, 
and you did me the compliment of adopting it."’ 

“ It didn’t come to much,” growled jPlumleigh, sullenly. 

“ It shut Douglass up in jail — ” 

“ AVhile you ran away with the girl! That was no part 
of the plan suggested by you and adopted by me, doctor.” 

“ True. Circumstances, monsieur — circumstances over 
which I had no control, led me to do as I did in that case, 
and I could explain everything to your satisfaction; but 
time presses, and we will, as your English proverb says, 
‘ Let by-gones be by-gones,’ and attend only to the present. 
Mr. Plumleigh, we are two men who unite in one feeling — 
love for Regina Tempest, and in yet another— -hatred 
toward Philip Douglass. You grant this?” 

“Yes, 1 do, heartily! Yes, I love her and 1 hate him 
— and I won’t deny either sentiment!” 

“ Very well. This Philip Douglass is at this moment at 
Esperanza with Regina, enjoying the opportunities that we 
have both enjoyed, but which we have never turned to ac- 
count, because we were restrained by honor and respect for 
the sensitive purity of a young girl.” 

And in delivering himself of this sentiment. Dr. Lefevre 
allowed his lips to writhe into a diabolical sneer, hidden 
from his companion by the darkness of the night. 

“ And Douglass won’t be such a fool. He’ll take hold 
of his opportunities quick enough. And the worst of it is, 
the girl likes him, little fool!” broke in Plumleigh, hotly. 

“ Of course she is a fool, being a woman, my dear fellow; 
and also, because she is a woman, she will love the man 
who succeeds in winning her, better than him who is weak 
enough to lose her. Eow, what I propose is, that you and 
I should league together and defeat this man, who is equally 
the enemy of both of us; and, having driven him off the 
field, we will divide the spoil, just how I can not at this 
moment say, because we can not yet tell how we shall find 
ourselves placed at the end of the struggle; but one thing 
I can promise, and that is, that I will this time keep per- 
fect faith with you, and that you shall neither be deceived 
nor wronged in any particular. Does that satisfy you?” 

“Yes, that’s all fair and above-board, and that’s the 
way 1 like to do business; only, in dividing the spoils of 
which you talk, 1 must get the girl for my share. You 


QUEEN- TEMPEST. 197 

may have the property, house, slaves and all; but I am 
bound to have the girl — mind thafc.’^ 

“ Oh, there will be no trouble about that, my good 
friend. You shall be satisfied; rely upon me for that,^' re- 
plied the doctor, with another smile. “ Well; now, my little 
scheme is just this: Philip Douglass is already betrothed in 
his own country to a woman cold, cruel, and revengeful — 
a woman who knows herself betrayed by her lover^s passion 
for Regina Tempest, and who has already been bitterly in- 
jured in some manner by either Regina or Topaz. Never- 
theless, she is willing to marry Douglass, and expects to do 
so upon his return home. Now, amigo, it seems to me 
that you and I can not do better than to allow this cold, 
cruel, jealous woman to do our work for us. Let her come 
to Esperanza and find her lover living with her rival — and 
what will ensue? There will be a frightful scene, and 
either she kills him at once — she is capable of it, I assure 
you, friend — or she marries him, which is for him so much 
the cruder fate of the two that even I confess myself satis- 
fied in prospect of such revenge. She marries him; and 
Regina, slighted, abandoned, furious, is ready for any- 
thing, ready for revenge at any price, careless of her own 
future, and unsparing of the cost at which she obtains her 
rival’s punishment. Then we come in as avenging deities 
— we make terms, we secure our own advantage, we be- 
come masters of the position and of the fair prize. Do you 
understand, amigo 9 Is it a fine scheme, a pleasing pros- 
pect, a melting sugar-plum ready to drop into our mouths 
— eh, signor?” 

“ Why, yes, 1 don’t see but what it will do,” replied 
John Plumleigh, slowly. “ That is, if all works as you 
expect. But how are we to get the girl out here?” 

“ 1 know that, also. You do not ask whence 1 obtain 
my information, but I will tell you frankly. A certain 
clerk of the post-office in Havana is fond of monte; that 
clerk and I played at monte the other day ; he staked his 
money and he lost; he staked more — all that he had — and 
lost; then he staked that which was not his, and still he 
lost, and so became a man worse than ruined. He sat 
staring at me with death in his face, and I said to him, 
very quietly: 

“ ‘ Amigo, those last doubloons of yours were not yours, 
but the government’s/ 


198 


QUEEIT TEMPEST. 


“ ‘ Well/ said he, ‘ the government may sell my body to 
the surgeons, and so collect the debt.^ And he was rush- 
ing away, but I stopped him with. 

“ ‘ Not so fast, hombre! All is not lost when the game 
is over; wait until the stakes are demanded. I am not a 
bad fellow, I — and your dead body could not help me in 
the least, whereas, living, it may do so. Just sign this 
little narrative of your late proceedings —see, I have it 
already written out — sign this, I say, and then ^llow me 
the privilege of looking over the mail for the United 
States, from now up to the sailing of the steamer, and we 
will call the account squared. You will keep my secret, 
and I will kee^i your confession.^ 

‘‘Ha! ha! Pretty good, that!’^ laughed John Plum- 
leigh, appreciatively. “ And what did the fellow say?^^ 

“ Well, not much, for there was not much to be said, 
you perceive; but he did what 1 told him to do, and the 
result is here. And in the darkness Plumleigh perceived 
that his companion drew a letter from an inner pocket 
and shook it in the air. 

“What. is the letter, anyway? What good to us, I 
mean?” asked he, perplexedly. 

“ The letter, amigo, is from Philip Douglass to his be- 
trothed, announcing his safe arrival here, and saying that, 
owing to the confused state in which my death — the death 
of Lefevre, you understand — has left the affairs of Espe- 
ranza, that he finds himself obliged to remain in Cuba 
longer than he anticipated; and that the happiness .of his 
marriage must be deferred for some time. That is the 
amount of the letter, I believe, except a few pretty com- 
pliments, both to you and to me, which I am too modest 
to repeat. But, most important of all, this letter gives us 
the lady’s precise name and address, and suggests some 
idea, of her character.” 

“ Well, and what are you going to do with the letter, 
anyhow?” 

“ Send it, my dear fellow — send it to Miss Clara Vere, 
at Elmslee, Massachusetts.” 

“Send it?” 

“ Y"es, or another just as good. We are honest men, 
we, and if we rob Miss Clara Vere of one letter, we shall 
not fail to make good its place with another. Do you seer""’ 


QtTEEK TEMPEST.. 199 

“ Oh — ah — yes, I believe 1 do! You^ll write another 
letter?” 

“Precisely.” 

“ And what will you say m the other letter?” 

“ Now you come to the marrow of the bone; now you 
touch the pith of the whole matter. 1 shall write— nay, 1 
have already written — a letter, in which Mr. Philip Doug- 
lass states the fact and the cause of his detention in Cuba, 
just as I have already repeated it, and he then goes on to 
say that as he can not bear the prospect of deferring his 
marriage, and as his bride^s health is sure to be benefited 
by a sea-voyage, he will esteem it the greatest possible 
favor if she will come out to Cuba in the next steamer, 
under protection of her aunt (to whom our Douglass in the 
first letter desires remembrance), and both ladies to be 
escorted by his esteemed friend, Mr. John Plumfeigh.” 

“ What!” 

“ Yes, amigo, it is you yourself who are to escort these 
ladies to Cuba, to Esperanza, and just before you leave 
them at the door of that mansion, you are to reveal to 
Miss Vere the part you have played.” 

“ What, betray myself I” shouted Plumleigh. 

“ My dear fellow,” replied the .Frenchman, philosophic- 
ally, “ do not disquiet yourself a moment on that account. 
Miss Vere will no longer remember your existence, when 
once she has heard your news. Besides, you are to take 
credit for a vast amount of philanthropy and self-sacrifice, 
in having brought her out here to save another young girl 
from ruin, and their mutual lover from disgrace. Oh, you 
will make capital out of it, never fear — a man of your in- 
genuity and spirit! Eh, my friend?” 

“ Well, I don’t know,” replied John Plumleigh, slowly, 
the conceit and stolid assurance of his nature surging up 
through the caution and conservatism of his education. 
“ Yes, I suppose 1 could do it.” 

“ And you will?” 

“ Well — there’s my character in my own place. The 
Douglasses will ruin me in Boston. ” 

“ The letter Douglass wrote to his friend, editor of the 
‘ Broadsheet,’ and which 1 hold in suspense, will do that 
far more effectually,” replied Lefevre, quietl 3 \ 

“ He wrote a letter to the ‘ Broadsheet ’ exposing me?” 
yelled Plumleigh. 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


m 


“ Most fully and completely, amigo.” 

“ Where is that letter?^^ 

“ Here. You shall have it as you go aboard the steamer; 
or, no, when you come back. You shall see it to-night.^' 

“Til go. 

“ ] knew you would. Now, let us settle the details,^^ 
said Lefevre, with a grin of contemptuous satisfaction. 

An hour later the conspirators separated, and as Dr. 
Lefevre stealthily returned to his refuge at Casa Blanca, 
that third figure whom we mentioned as following him to 
the rendezvous, and who had been a silent participator in 
the interview, immediately followed him back to his re- 
treat as stealthily and as silently. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE INDIAN CHEST. 

“ The secret is in the Indian chest, said Mme. de Beau- 
desir, and Philip Douglass nodded assent, too eager and 
too impatient for speech. 

“Open it, thenP^ commanded the lady, too tenacious 
of the privileges of her caste to even gratify her own curi- 
osity when the hands of another could be made to serve 
in place of her own. Douglass attempted to lift the lid. 

“ It is locked, said he. 

“ Unlock it, break it open! Oh, hurry. Monsieur Doug- 
lass!^^ 

“ After all, I am master of the house, muttered the 
young man, and again drew the bunch of keys from his 
pocket. But the lock, of Oriental manufacture, was as 
jjeculiar as it was clumsy, and not one of the keys would 
stir it. Then our Yankee took his bit of wire, bent it at 
the end, having first broken off the sealing-wax, and de- 
liberately proceeded to pick the lock, so skillfully and so 
quickly that the French lady smilingly asked . 

“ Are you, then, a burglar, monsieur?^^ 

“ On occasion, as you see, madame. In fact, the people 
of my country have so little to depend upon beyond them- 
selves, that every man early learns to make the most of 
himself, and becomes what we call a jack-of -^11-trades. 

“ ‘ Jack-of-all-trades,^ murmured the marquise, in her 
pretty foreign English. “ That is droll; but see — there it 
opens. Now’ theuT 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


201 


And falling upon her knees before the open chest, with 
small regard to the silken draperies she trailed m the dust 
of the long- neglected floor, madame plunged both her 
white hands into the pile of clothing and various articles 
of woman’s gear half Ailing the chest, tossing them over, 
and out upon the floor in reckless haste. 

“ But, after all, what do you seek, madame?” asked 
Douglass, observing her face a few minutes. 

“ I do not know — but when 1 And it 1 shall recognize 
it. Desiree knew what she was doing when she brought 
me so far; but here is the bottom of the chest, and only 
this rubbish. What does it mean, monsieur?” 

And from among the confusion with which she had sur- 
rounded herself the young woman suddenly looked up at 
Douglass with startled and imploring eyes. The chest was 
empty, and everything that it had contained lay fully dis- 
played in manifest worthlessness, at least so far as the pur- 
pose In hand was concerned. 

“ What do you make of it, monsieur?” 

Douglass did not reply. lie was attentively examining 
the empty chest. At one end, close to the top, was a shal- 
low box or till, such as is sometimes seen in seamen’s chests, 
intended to hold money or valuables. This was now open 
and empty, and the quick eye of the young American at 
once perceived that the depth of the side was considerably 
greater on the outside than the inside. After measuring 
and testing it with eye and finger for a moment, he slowly 
said: 

“ Either this box has an absurdly thick bottom or it has 
a hollow bottom, in which case — ” 

And, kneeling down, he drew from the comprehensive 
pocket a knife, opened it, and carefully inserted the blade 
in the crevice around the edge of the bottom board of the 
box. 

After one or two attempts at various points, the board 
moved, and with a slow, steady action of the knife and the 
hand that held it, Douglass removed it from its bed and 
lifted it out of the box. The marquise leaned eagerly over 
him. 

“ See, monsieur! Did I deceive you?” exclaimed she, 
pointing downward. 

Douglass laid the board aside and looked into the shal- 
low drawer, or, rather, well, its removal had disclosed. At 


202 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


the bottom lay a thin folded paper, yellow with age, and 
bound round with a bit of narrow and faded ribbon. 

“Yes, there is something, certainly, said Douglass, . 
coolly. 

And carefully taking up the paper which had, through 
time and dampness, grown to the wood upon which it had 
so long been pressed, he looked at it for a moment, then 
handed it to Mme. de Beaudesir, pointing as he did so to 
this indorsement, written in French, upon one end. 

“ Papers belonging to Madame Desiree Tempest, nee De 
Marmontel, and placed here by Coralie Dupuy, her maid, 
in hopes they may fall into the hands of some of her own 
family. 

“Yes, yes, this is what we sought — this is what my 
poor Desiree brought me hither to find! Oh, my sister! 
poor, poor sister! unable even to rest in your early grave 
— for even there man^s injustice and cruelty pursued you — 
you have lingered all these years between two worlds, 
waiting until justice should at last be done to you and 
your beloved child. 

“ And now, madame,^^ interposed Douglass, “ 1 will 
leave you to examine- these papers in private, and at your 
leisure. If anything in them concerns my ward, 1 trust — 

“ No, no, monsieur; you shall help me. It will concern 
Ilegina, of course, and you must know all as well as I. 
Stay here, or, rather, let us sit down in this next room and 
look over these papers together. 

And the marquise, hastening to place herself upon a 
bamboo couch near the window, impatiently beckoned 
Douglass to a seat at her side. 

Thus entreated, the young man hesitated no longer; and, 
in fact, his curiosity as to the contents of the manuscript 
was nearly as great as that of the marquise, and also 
nearly as personal, for, the idea of Kegina being the child 
of an intrigue between a libertine and a nun, and the sug- 
gestion that her mother might still be living as an aban- 
doned woman, were more horrible to him than he had ever 
acknowledged to his own mind, and would have proved a 
most effectual barrier between the young girl and himself, 
had all others been removed. 

“ Yes, here are several papers,’^ continued the mar- 
quise, untying the faded ribbon and loosing the envelope. 

“ The outside is headed. ‘ To the friends of my late mis- 


QtJEEK TEMPEST. ^03 

tress, Madame Tempest/ We are those friends, monsieur, 
are we not? Then, listen: 

“ I, Coralie l^upuy, feeling that 1 may be going to die, 
though how I know not, desire to leave this statement in 
writing, for the benefit, as it may prove, of my late mis- 
tress's memory, and for the benefit of her child. 

“ Fourteen months ago, 1, then living in Paris, was en- 
gaged by a man named Hercule Pelletier, but calling him- 
self Le I)octeur Lefevre, to attend a lady sick in child-bed. 
I had a little baby myself at the time, and I left it at the 
Foundling Hospital before 1 went to her. Let us be can- 
did, and acknowledge that Pelletier-Lefevre was the father 
of this child, which will account for his influence over its 
mother. 

“ I went to the lady, whom I found very ill, although 
she had a beautiful living child beside her. I nursed them 
both, and remained with them six weeks. At the end of 
that time preparations were made for us all to embark for 
Cuba, all but Lefevre, whom maclame hated, and with 
reason, for he made dissensions between her husband and 
herself, and worse than that, made love to madame when- 
ever he found the opportunity. Timid and shrinking to a 
degree, madame never told this to her husband, but only 
begged that the doctor might not accompany them to the 
West Indies. To this monsieur agreed; and madame's 
doom was sealed, for Lefevre had become known to the 
police of Paris, and could live there no longer, and Colonel 
Tempest was rich and generous, and allowed the villain 
Frenchman to do as he would with his money. 

“ One day 1 was sent out in a carriage with the baby, 
and was gone for several hours. When I returned madame 
had disappeared, and monsieur stood before her desk, 
which he had broken open, and was reading a letter. The 
doctor stood a little behind him, grinning like a fiend, and 
as I entered made me a sign to withdraw silently. I went 
to my own room, and a few minutes later he rushed in and 
thrust a packet of papers into my hand, saying, ‘ Keep 
these safely untiL I ask for them,’ and then he was oft 
again. 

“ I glanced at the papers. They were the certificate of 
madame’s baptism, of her marriage, and of the birth of 
her child, Kegina. Why I did it the good Lord only 


204 QUEEK TEMPEST. 

knows, bat something compelled me to it, and I hid those 
papers as securely as possible; and when Lefevre entered 
the room again I was sitting in my low chair before the 
fire, the baby on my lap, and softly singing the evening 
hymn, my eyes piously fixed upon the crucifix above the 
chimney. .. 

“ * The papers — where are they?^ demanded he. 

“ ‘ Quite safe— all gone,’ replied 1, between two meas- 
ures of my hymn and nodding toward the fire. 

“ He seized me roughly by the shoulder and glared into 
my face with his fiendish eyes. 

“ ‘ Gone? Woman, what do you mean?’ demanded he. 

“ * Why, gone in the fire. Did not you tell me to put 
them safely out of the way? I thought you meant as we 
put men out of the way when they annoy us, and I tossed 
them into the fire. See, there is the cinder still,’ and 1 
pointed to the remnant of some paper 1 had burned on 
purpose. 

“ The doctor looked at it, then looked keenly at me for 
a long moment, then went out of the room without a 
word. What he believed I do not know; but I know that 
he put me to sleep that night with a powder in my tisane, 
and I do not doubt that he searched my room and me most 
thoroughly. He did not fiild the papers, however, and he 
has never found them. 

“ The next day we all started for Cuba. Whatever be- 
came of madarne, poor soul, 1 do not know; but this I do 
know, that Monsieur the Colonel, before we. left Paris, 
commanded me with fearful words never to mention her 
name to him, or to any one; never to remind him of her 
existence; never to tell those whom I should meet in Cuba 
any incident of my life with him in Paris. I swore obedi- 
ence, and I have kept my oath. Also I have kept the 
papers, and I shall leave them with this confession where 
my dear doctor will not find them — at least I think he will 
not, but he will try. My heart is very heavy to-night. I 
could fancy that I am going to die. God knows, I have 
nqt been a good girl, but 1 never was taught to be good, 
and Hercule made me worse than I should have been if — 
But no matter; let it all go. Vive la hagatelle, and let 
Fortune do her worst! It can be but once. 

“ CoRALiE Dupuy.” 


QUEEN- TEMPEST, 


206 


“ Poor creature I poor little girl! She never had a 
chance; that is plain enough to be seen/^ murmured Mme. 
de Beaudesir, wiping her eyes. Douglass was examining 
the other papers.' 

“ Yes/’ said he. “ These are all correct, all in order, 
and Miss Tempest is the legitimate daughter of Colonel 
Marmaduke Tempest and Desiree de Marmontel, his wife.” 

“ And niece of Athenase de Beaudesir, who must hasten 
to embrace her,” added the marquise, rising gayly. 

“ Shall we tell her? Be careful, madame, not to sully 
the innocence of her childish mind by telling too much. 
She has never heard the doubt that distressed us so 
much,” said Philip, anxiously, as he followed her from 
the room. 

Madame stepped upon the threshold and looked archly 
back at him. 

“ Do not distress yourself, monsieur,” said she. “ I am 
a woman, and a French woman — I shall not blunder.” 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 

TWO FLASKS AND A DAGGER. 

Aunty Mome sat silently in the door of her cabin, her 
chin resting upon her hands, her elbows upon her knees, 
her eyes fixed mournfully upon the newly risen moon just 
appearing above the tops of the palm-trees. The old 
woman’s attitude was sad, her wrinkled face was sadder. 
Saddest of all were her thoughts, for they were with all 
that in a long life she had loved and lost — some long ago, 
in the bright heydey of her own youth; some but yester- 
day, when old age had laid its wintery grasp upon her, and 
withered one by one the ties of love and kindred which life 
denies not even to the meanest of the living. 

“ All gone, all gone, every one!” murmured old Mome, 
in the liquid accents of her own tongue. 

A shadow that for some moments had lain unperceived 
beside her stirred slightly as the old woman spoke, and 
after another instant of hesitation, a light foot crossed the 
little interval of dewy herbage, and a slender form knelt 
suddenly beside the crouching figure of Aunty Mome. 

“ Not all gone, grandmother — not quite all gone,” 
murmured a voice, and the old negress started back, half 


QUEEN TEMEESt. 

ill wonder, half in horror, and turned to look at the head 
so close to her own~a head covered with rippling golden 
hair, a face pallid, thin, haggard, but lighted by two brill- 
iant, gem-like eyes, from which in the darkness gleams of 
light seemed to emanate with every pulsation. 

“ Topaz! It can’t be you, child!” gasped Home. 

“ Why can’t it, grandmother? At any rate, it is,” re- 
plied the girl, in a reckless voice, as she wearily seated her- 
self. 

“ Why, Topaz! Why, they said they saw you drown! 
Miss Regina sent for me and told me so herself — you and 
that villain, whom may all the demons torture to eternity!” 

“ I hope they may, grandmother; but they haven’t got 
him yet — not quite yet, that is,” said the girl, in the same 
liard, fierce tone she had all along used. 

“ What! he is alive?” 

“Yes, hiding from the soldiers, or the law-officers, who 
would garrote him if they could catch him. ” 

“ And you know where he is?” asked Home, eagerly. 

“ Yes, exactly.” 

“ Then, why don’t you let those dear soldiers and law- 
officers know also?” 

“ Because I don’t want their help.” 

“ Their help? Then you will — ” 

“ I will settle my debts with him first. After that, if 
the law wants him, it can have him.” 

“ Be careful, my child. The law is horrible and with- 
out compassion in its dealings with one of us who lifts his 
hand against one of them. ” 

“ I know it. I shall not be caught.” 

“ And, child, you are but young for this work. If I 
were your age. Topaz, I would do different from what I 
have done. It’s bad to get old and near the end of your 
days and have to think — ” 

“ To think, grandmother!” interrupted the girl, fierce- 
ly. “When I think of what that man has done, of his 
sins against my mother and against Regina — who is, after 
all, my sister— and against me! Why, grandmother, you 
do not know half of my story — no, nor will you ever know 
it. There are things no woman will speak of for very 
shame — but this much you may know once for all: If that 
man had ten lives, and I could take every one of them, and 
suffer ten eternal punishments for taking them, I would 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


^07 


t spare one! no, not the smallest pang of one of those 
de^s! Grandmother, that man has got to die! and be- 
fore dies, to know that 1 am the one picked out to pun- 
ish hiiiv^for his sins against me and mine! 

“ Wh^ we two were struggling there in the water, after 
I had pushed him overboard, I was willing to drown my- 
self if I couk^ drown him too; and when 1 found that he 
was too strong for me, and when he hissed into my ears 
that he would send me to hell to wait for him, and that 
he^d spend eternity torturing me, I made up my mind not 
to die till started him along first. So I slipped out of 
his hands and sunh like a rock, dived until I thought I 
was drowning, came up on the other side of the ship, to 
breathe and rest for a moment, then swam under water as 
far as I could, came up to breathe, found that the fog had 
hidden me from both vessels, and then swam straight for 
the shore. I knew where he would go if he escaped, and 
I went there first. The woman whom he had trusted had 
a husband, and he, though he was bought with the French- 
man’s gold, and dared not resist, hated him like death. 1 
went to him, he hid me, and after nightfall .came to tell 
me that Lefevre had arrived, and that his wife had secreted 
him in a place they had long ago prepared. 

“ Since then I have watched him — watched as II De- 
monic watches the tree to whose foot he has scented a 
man. Two — no, three nights ago I followed him to a 
meeting with the man who came home with us from 
America, and 1 heard their beautiful plot — yes, and I can 
plot too — ” 

“ Child, child, your hand is burning hot, your eyes blaze 
like coals of fire! You are sick, crazed! Topaz, you shall 
not leave me again,” interposed old Home, looking anx- 
iously into the face of the young girl by the faint moon- 
light. 

But Topaz threw off her detaining hand, and laughed 
harshly as she replied: 

“ Crazed? Sick? Not a bit of it, grandmother; but I 
am desperate, and I am resolved. I have my work to do, 
and you must help me to do it. It was for that I came to 
you to-night.” 

“ What is it that you want. Topaz?” asked the old 
woman, in a whisper, and glancing about her as she spoke. 

“ Two things— no, three,” replied the girl, coldly. “I 


238 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


want that dagger which you showed me once, and said that 
its blade was so poisoned that one little scratch of it would 
kill a man by slow torture, one light stab would slay him 
at once. 1 want that, grandmother, and I want some of 
the sleepy stuff that you gave me once before, and 1 want 
what you keep in the monkey-gourds, hidden deep under 
ground at the back of your cabin. 

“ The monkey-gourds!^^ stammered Home. 

“ Yes, the monkey-gourds, filled with the stuff that kills 
folks, and leaves no trace of how it did its work. That's 
what I want, grandmother." 

“ Topaz, Topaz, you shall not do it!" 

“ 1 shall — I will! Remember my mother; remember 
the awful wrong that killed her; remember how she lay 
dying upon this very floor. She was your own child, 
Mome, and her murderer walks abroad to-day." 

“ Pepita?" groaned the old woman, bowing herself, and 
rocking back and forward as if in agony. 

“ Yes, Pepita!" repeated Topaz, sternly. “ Out of her 
bloody grave, she is calling for vengeance; yes, she calls to 
you, her mother, and to me, her daughter, and shall we 
deny her call? Mome, Mome, do you dare refuse her 
when she calls?" 

And as if the words were a spell enforcing obedience, the 
old woman rose, weeping and trembling, and going into 
the cabin, moved her wretched bed from where it lay, and 
began to dig the ground beneath it. 

At the depth of a foot or moi’e, she came upon the cover 
of a crypt hollowed in the earth and set about with stones, 
making a little chamber some eighteen inches square at the 
bottom, and sloped to an opening of hardly half that size. 
From within this recess, old Mome, muttering lamenta- 
tions to herself, drew first a parcel wrapped in many folds 
of cloth, and bound about with a dried snake-skin. This 
she unrolled, and from it produced a small dagger, silver- 
hilted, its narrow blade ground to a point fine as that of a 
needle, and covered all over with dusky Eastern hiero- 
glyphics. From blade and handle exhaled a faint, musky 
odor, fascinating, yet repulsive, the odor of death, and yet 
of a death so full of delirious ecstasy that one would fly 
toward rather than away from it, had he his choice. 

“ That is it," said Topaz, as she bent over the crouching 
figure of the old woman, and drew the dagger from her 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


209 


unwilling hands. “ Now get me the monkey-gourd and 
the other. ” 

Without a word, old Mome bent again over the crypt, 
and from its inmost recesses produced first a joint of bam- 
boo, closely stopped at either end, and then a little gourd, 
also closely stopped. 

These she held above her head without speaking, and 
Topaz taking them as silently, turned and left the hut, 
not waiting for the entreaties or commands which her 
grandmother might attempt to put upon her. As she her- 
self had said, she was now but a messenger of that aveng- 
ing fate which, after so long pursuing Hercule Pelletier, 
otherwise Lefevre, seemed now about to overtake him. 


CHAPTER XXXVllI. 

MISS VERB AT ESPERANZA. 

Again the “ Moro Castle ” lay at her moorings in the 
pleasant harbor of Havana, and under the protection of her 
mighty namesake. The passengers were already crowding 
in, to the shore-boats, eager to land, wearied with even one 
week of the narrow life on shipboard. 

In the belvidera of a certain house in the village of Casa 
Blanca crouched a lean, dark, ill-conditioned man, who by 
the aid of an excellent spy-glass watched this debarkation 
with the intensest interest, but for some time very quietly. 
At length, however, as a group of two ladies and one stout, 
middle-aged gentleman appeared at the ship^s side, and be- 
gan the descent into the boat, he showed signs of agita- 
tion, the color rising to his sallow cheek, his hand trem- 
bling so that it hardly commanded the spy-glass, and his 
breath coming and going in quick, spasmodic jerks. 

“ Yes; that’s the hombre! That’s Plurnleigh, and that 
young woman in white and blue, that must be the bride, 
and the snuffy old duenna is the aunt, of course. That is 
the party. Now for success, now for my little plot. Go on, 
poor, stupid tool! Bring them on, bring them directly 
into the trap! Make an amiable cat’s-paw of yourself, 
hombre, and thank your stars if you escape with your neck, 
although you will assuredly miss the bait, my amiable 
friend. Ha! \i0,\ chavolo I it makes me laugh to see how 
one clever rogue may lead an army of honest fools by the 
nose!” 


210 


QUEEN' TEMPEST. 


And our friend the doctor, closing his sj^y-glass, laughed 
a short, sharp, cynical laugh, quite unconscious of the truth 
that, while the clever rogue leads the crowd by the nose. 
Fate may be leading him by a halter around his neck 
toward an end as certain as it is obscure. 

The party whom Dr. Lefevre had so eagerly watched 
was in fact that of Miss Clara Vere, who, entirely deceived 
by the forged letter, and hurried on by her own jealous 
fears, had insisted upon complying literally with her lover’s 
supposed directions, and had taken passage in the return 
steamer for Cuba, accompanied by her aunt, and escorted 
by the portly and respectable John Plumleigh. The voy- 
age had been a pleasant one, and on landing. Miss Vere 
looked about her with an expression of unusual amiability, 
but the sunshine soon darkened as she coldly said : 

“ I do not see Mr. Douglass anywhere. Very strange 
that he should neither come off to the steamer nor meet us 
here. ” 

“ Possibly he may not be expecting the steamer until to- 
morrow — we have made a very short passage, you know; 
or — although 1 do not wish to alarm you — it is possible Mr. 
Douglass may be ill,” suggested John Plumleigh, plaus- 
ibly. “ The best thing we can do is take a couple of those 
volantes, and drive out to Esperanza at once. If Mr. 
Douglass is really ill, we can not make too much haste. ” 

“ If he is really ill — if I knew that he was, I would go to 
him; otherwise, I should certainly wait for him to come to 
me,” said Miss Vere, coldly, to her aunt, who replied: 

“Yes, of course, dear, and I consider Mr. Douglass so 
much the gentleman, that he would certainly have come 
to you had he been able. As he is not here, I argue that 
he is not able, and, therefore, it is our duty to go to him.” 

From which logical declaration it will be perceived that 
Mrs. liuth Gaines was of a metaphysical turn of mind, and 
will, no doubt, under the charming reign of women now 
approaching, distinguish herself at the bar. Her niece still 
frowned, but she yielded, and turning to Mr. Plumleigh, 
pettishly remarked: 

“ Very well then, Mr. Plumleigh; do get us out of this 
disagreeable waiting-room as soon as possible.” 

“ Immediately, Miss Vere,” replied Plumleigh, eagerly; 
and going out of the custom-house, where this little con- 
versation had taken place, he soon found a couple of 


QUHEK TEMPEST. 


^11 


volantes, provided by the thoughtful care of Dr. Lefevre, 
from whom the driver of one of them presented Mr. Plum- 
leigh with the following laconic epistle. 

“ Near Esperanza get into the volante with the young 
one, and tell her the whole story. ’’ 

“ rd rather be whipped/’ grumbled John Plumleigh, 
as he read and destroyed this little missive; but still he 
obeyed its orders minutely, and about a mile from Espe- 
raiiza both volantes stopped, and Mr. Plumleigh, descend- 
ing from his own, came to the side of that occupied by the 
ladies, and said with as much ease of manner as he could 
command : 

“ Mrs. Gaines, may I ask you to ride the rest of the 
distance in the forward carriage, and allow me to occupy 
your seat in this? I have a few parting words to say to 
Miss Vere, and when once we arrive at Esperanza there 
will be no opportunity/’ 

“ Oh, certainly, certainly, Mr. Plumleigh,” re'plied the 
aunt, while Miss Vere looked somewhat surprised, some- 
what disapproving, but said nothing. The transfer was 
speedily made, and as soon as the two carriages were again 
in motion, Mr. Plumleigh plunged at once in medias res,^ 

“ Miss Vere, 1 have a confession to make, and your par- 
don to entreat before we part forever, as we must do within 
a few moments. ” 

“ Well, sir?” inquired Miss Vere, not to be taken by 
surprise though the skies fell. 

“ I have deceived you. Miss Vere — deceived you for your 
own good, as I honestly believe, but still deceived you.” 

“ Go on, sir, if you please.” 

“ Philip Douglass did not write you that letter; he did 
not and does not expect you in Cuba. Instead of fulfilling 
his engagements with you, instead of attending to business, 
he is making love to Kegifla Tempest, and forgetting all 
else in her unstinted adoration. They are here at Espe- 
ranza, and a friend of yours— a real and true although 
unknown friend of yours— concocted this plan to bring 
you out here, feeling that your actual presence, the power 
of your pure affection, and the opinion of the world, as 
represented by your worthy aunt,_were the only means left 
of bringing this unhappy man to his senses, and breaking 
up the terrible scandal which otherwise must shortly ensue. 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


212 

Tills friend. Miss Vere, engaged me to go and bring you 
out; he wrote the letter, and it is him whom you have to 
thank for thus interposing to save you and Mr. Douglass 
and Miss Tempest, each one of you alike, from a terrible 
grief and shock. 

“ And what further motive besides philanthropy urged 
my unknown friend to risk a state's prison by writing a., 
forged letter?" coldly inquired Miss Vere. 

“ Madame, your acuteness plunges at once to the bottom 
of affairs. My friend loves Kegina Tempest madly, and 
love suggested this course as the only sure one. Had he 
written, warning you of your lover's treachery, you would 
probably have written to Mr. Douglass, dismissing him with- 
out hope. He would then have married Miss Tempest, half 
from spite and half from love, and my friend's chance, 
slight at the best, was destroyed utterly. Had he done noth- 
ing, and left matters to their natural course, the intimacy 
between two young people, situated as these two at present 
are, would soon have become so entire and unreserved that 
Miss Vere would no longer have been willing to marry Mr. 
Douglass, had he repented, nor would my friend have taken 
Miss Tempest as a wife. So you see, madame, that the 
course adopted was almost inevitable, and I trust you will 
pardon my share in it." 

With which humble hope Mr. Plumleigh closed his ex- 
position, and wiped his damp forehead with a trembling 
hand, peeping the while from beneath his handkerchief at 
Miss Vere's impassive face. 

“ Are you quite done, sir?" asked she, at last. 

“ Yes; oh, yes'm, I'm done," stammered Mr. Plum- 
leigh, not quite knowing what was to come next. 

“ Then perhaps, sir, you will resume your place in the 
other garriage," said Miss Vere, coldly. 

“ But, ma'am — but what are you going to do about Mr. 
Douglass and this girl?" • 

“ Sir!" 

“ I say, what will you do about the story I have just told 
you?" 

“ Mr. Plumleigh, a gentleman would understand the 
impertinence of such a question. 1 suppose you do not." 

‘‘ Impertinence?" echoed the bewildered Plumleigh. 

“ Yes. What right have you, sir, to ask me questions 
relating to my private affairs? What possible excuse have 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 

you for meddling in them at all? I will thank you to leave 
this carriage at once.^’ 

“ That ril do, ma'am, with the greatest pleasure; and 
I only hope that Douglass will marry you, for I believe 
he's the fellow to take the temper out of a shrew like you, 
if any man can. " 

And with this valedictory, the discomfited intriguer 
stopped the volante, clambered awkwardly to the ground, 
and disappeared in the jungly grove. 

Miss Vere did not look to see what became of him, nor, 
left to herself, did she weep, or wring her hands, or break 
into soliloquy. Sitting perfectly still and upright, her 
hands folded upon her lap, her calm, delicate features 
utterly expressionless, her blue eyes set steadily forward, 
she allowed the postilion to move on at his own pleasure, 
nor showed more sign of life than if she had been a statue, 
until the volante, whirling rapidly down the avenue of 
limes, brought up with a flourish at the steps leading to 
the veranda. 

A pretty tableau met her eyes, if indeed, her eyes 
deigned to take it in; Philip Douglass, dressed in the loose 
white linen clothes of a West Indian planter, half reclined 
in a great bamboo lounging-chair, a cigarito between his 
fingers, carefully held out of the way while he leaned over 
the arm of the chair to examine an exercise which Regina, 
seated upon a pile of cushions close beside him, was doing, 
under his direction. At a little distance sat Mme. de 
Beaudesir, absorbed in a novel. The picture was a pretty 
one, and we incline to think the cold blue eyes that never 
seemed to turn that way took it all in, even to the minut- 
est detail, even to the confiding, appealing look of Regina's 
lovely face, even to the air of protection, of loving author- 
ity, and entire content expressed by every line of Philip 
Douglass's face and figure. ^ 

A pretty picture, but a fleeting one, for as the volante 
drew up before the steps, Mme. le Marquise laid down her 
book and sat more upright, Regina dropped the exercise 
and stared in undisguised astonishment, and Douglass 
sprung to his feet and hastened to the steps, exclaiming: 

“Clara! Can this be you?" 

“ Yes. Thank you; I will not get out of the carriage; 
ray aunt and I are in Havana and drove out to inform you 




(HJEKN TEmI'EST. 


of our coming/^ said Miss Vere, in her usual cold and lan- 
guid tones. 

But Regina had now recovered herself, and the proud 
hospitality in which she had been bred overcame at once 
all other feelings. Advancing to the, steps, she descended 
half-way, and stood there, a queen indeed, so calmly court- 
eous, so nobly self-forgetting. 

“Welcome to Esperanza, Miss Vere,’^ said she; “for 
you will not affront me by refusing my poor hos 2 )itality, 1 
am sure. 

“ Thank you. Miss Tempest, but we are staying in 
Havana, and only drove this way to speak to Mr. Doug- 
lass,’^ replied Clara, more discomposed by her own false- 
hood than she could have believed possible. 

“ But surely you will not speak with him upon the steps, 
Miss Vere,” insisted Regina, drawing herself up a little. 
“ The house is entirely at your disposal, and my aunt and 
1 will withdraw while you hold your interview. You niust 
not refuse to enter my doors. Miss Vere.” 

“No, Clara, you can not refuse to enter the house,” 
added Douglass, in a voice so low that little but its tone of 
resolute command reached the ears of his betrothed, who, 
however, yielded to that tone, as did most of those to 
whom Philip Douglass ever used it. But she would not 
confess to what she yielded, and said, with a well-bred 
smile: 

“You are very kind. Miss Tempest, and I shall accept 
your hospitality with much pleasure.” 

“I am much obliged to you for doing so,” replied 
Regina, unaffectedly. 

And then Miss Vere, dismounting, was presented to the 
Marquise de Beaudesir, and Mrs. Gaines arriving, was made 
a sharer in the ceremony, and then the party adjourned to 
the drawing-room, whence Regina soon led the two elders 
to look at her garden, leaving Miss Vere to an explanation 
with her betrothed, which, as may be judged by those who 
have studied this man’s character, was of the fullest and 
most unreserved nature. Miss Vere finding herself forced 
to a minute candor which astonished even herself. 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 




CHAPTER XXXIX. 

TOPAZ SETTLES HER ACCOUNTS. 

It was evening of the day of Miss Vere^s arrival at Espe- 
ranza, and Dr. Lefevre sat in the little bed-chamber of his 
hiding-place, anxiously expecting tidings from his confed- 
erate, John Plumleigh; but he did not come, for a reason 
which we may know, although Dr. Lefevre never learned 
it. In plunging through the thicket, after leaving Miss 
Vere in her volaute, the worthy Plumleigh had been so un-. 
fortunate as to disturb the repose of one of those beautiful 
ophidians whom we call in the Southern States moccasin 
snakes, and whose deadly bite is all the more terrible from 
not being heralded by a warning like that given by its 
first cousin, the rattle-snake. The moccasin in question 
then, finding himself annoyed, turned like other worms 
too much down-trodden, and struck its fangs into the foot 
that trod it, or rather into the fleshy part of the leg left 
uncovered by Mr. Plumleigh's low-cut shoes. 

“Hang the snake I'’ ^ exclaimed that gentleman, as he 
felt the wound, and saw the enemy just gliding out of 
reach beneath some broken brushwood. But a moment 
later our poor friend abandoned all idea of vengeance, and 
became absorbed in the novel and uncomfortable sensations 
l^ervading his own frame. Had his blood all turned to 
liquid fire, or was it pounded glass, red-hot, that coursed 
through his veins! And these horrible darting, shooting 
pangs, streaniing upward froni the wounded limb, and 
weaving themselves into a net-work of agony over his whole 
body! And this flaring green. and yellow light that seemed 
to inclose and suffocate him, and this terrible labor of heart 
and lungs, and this horrible nausea, and this deathly faint- 
ness! Yes, deathly faintness, and in its deathliness lay its 
mercy, for soon its numbing touch overcame the agony 
that seemed to rend the poor wretches frame asunder, and 
like the coui^ de grace with which the executioner ended 
the anguish of the victim upon the wheel, this hand of 
Death pressed yet more firmly upon the life-springs of the 
wretched man^s existence, crushed and broke them, and 
laid him a swollen, discolored, hon-ible corpse among the 
bright blossoms of cactus, and gladiolus, and oleander, 


316 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


that made the dark recesses of that forest bright with their 
gorgeous beauty. All day he lay there, while the men who 
were to carry him back to the city waited a little while, 
then drove carelessly away— all day, and when the night 
came, there came with it the foul beasts of prey, the rep- 
tiles, and the insects, whom nature provides so plentifully 
in these tropical climates, making of them her vigilance 
committee and board of health all in one. 

And so John Plumleigh died and was buried, and no 
man was ever the wiser for his death. 

Certainly Dr. Lefevre was not, although the doubts and 
wonders that arose in his mind upon the subject were des- 
tined to be very soon and very effectually set at rest. 

Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, and he had not come. Dr. 
Lefevre angrily rapped upon the wall at a certain angle of 
his little chamber. A moment later, and the signal was 
answered by a barefooted young woman, lithe, graceful, 
passionate, dark-eyed, timidly devoted. 

“ Has not that man come yet, Juanita?” 

“No, soul of my soul; no one has come.” 

“ Basta ! Bring me some lemonade, and go to bed. 
He will not come to-night.” 

“ In two moments, my master.” 

And Juanita disappeared to squeeze fresh limes and make 
the delicious beverage of the tropics. Just as all was ready, 
her husband called to her from the adjoining room, and 
with a scowl upon her handsome face, Juanita obeyed the 
summons, answered the idle question he asked, and re- 
turned. She was not gone more than a minute, but it was 
enough. 

“ Madre de Dios /” muttered the husband, turning him- 
self in bed, and glancing at a door opposite that by which 
Juanita had come and gone. “These women! Now I 
hope we shall have a little peace.” 

Juanita, meantime, had carried her lemonade upstairs 
— had watched her friend drink the first glass — had timidly 
asked if it was good, and receiving an approving answer, 
had ventured, to proffer her lips for payment of the service, 
and had received the careless kiss she begged. Then, with 
a musical “ Good-night, my soul!” she departed to seek 
the marital couch, and Dr. Lefevre prepared himself for 
repose. 

The night was hot, and anxiety and bad habits made him 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 




feverish, so that before he lay down, the carafe of lemo’iade 
was exhausted; and hardly had his head touched the pillow 
when a profound, almost a deathly sleep came upon him. 

^ It ended six hours later with a start, caused by a sensa- 
tion of tingling pain which pervaded Dr. Lefevre^s whole 
frame. Opening his eyes, he suffered them to roam wildly 
about the chamber, trying to establish by their evidence 
some proof that the hideous nightmare oppressing him was 
but a nightmare, and would speedily pass away. But the 
startled eyes found no proof, and after awhile the sufferer 
closed them for awhile, and lay struggling silently, both in 
soul and body, against the horror that bound him; but the 
horror was not to be shaken off, and once again he opened 
his eyes and faced it desperately. 

Yes; it was true — no dream, no nightmare. Here he 
lay, flat upon his back, his arms and legs stretched to their 
utmost extent, and bound to the four posts of his bedstead, 
his head slightly elevated, so that he could survey both his 
own body and the entire extent of the chamber with per- 
fect ease; a gag was firmly bound within his mouth, and 
all clothing removed except the loose drawers which form 
to-day, as they did in the time of the Arabian Nights, the 
sleeping costume of the tropics. 

A brilliant light burned upon a table at the bedside, and 
shed its full blaze upon the figure of a woman seated very 
quietly' at the other side, her luminous yellow eyes fixed 
upon the face of her destined victim. The doctor^s tongue 
was fettered, as we have said, but his eyes were free, and 
they said, very plainly: 

“ Topaz! Why, she Was drowned!’^ 

So plainly did the eyes speak, that the woman watching 
them felt constrained to reply, and said : 

“ Yes, it is I — Topaz. You thought you had drowned 
me, but you did not. It is not I who am to die this time, 
but you, and I am not such a bungler as you. I shall do 
my work better, as you will see.^’ 

Then she sat, calm and smiling, looking for awhile into 
the dark eyes of the man to whom she thus promised ret- 
ribution, and watching the waves of thought, of anguish, 
of supplication, of mad resistance, of cowardly despair that 
came and went there. At last she spoke again: 

“ No; there is no hope — not a particle. There will be 
no noise, and even if there were, Juanita finished the 


^18 C^UEEK TEMPEST. 

lemonade down-stairs, and will sleep as soundly as you have 
done for the last six hours. Maldito ! how you have slept! 
I have been at work an hour, 1 should think, putting all 
in order for your wakening, and you never stirred an eye- 
lash even when 1 stuck the gag in your mouth, so that, 
finally, when I grew lonesome, and wanted a little of your 
sweet company, I was forced to put the point ’of my knife 
into you a little way to rouse you up. 

“ i)roll, is it not, dear doctor, to think how, a little 
while ago, our two positions were reversed; how I was then 
gagged and bound and tortured, and how you sat beside 
me, smiling and taunting me. But that, they tell me, is 
the way of this world — one up and another down — your 
turn yesterday, and mine to-day; yes, mine to-day, doctor. 
Just mind that 

Again she paused, gloating upon the pallid face before 
her, its narrow forehead beaded with the sweat of mortal 
agony, its eyes dilated and brilliant with the intensity of 
terror only to be seen in the eyes of a brute brought to 
bay, or those of a human being brutish in ferocity, and 
lower than the brutes in cowardice. 

“ You feel a good deal frightened,^^ said Topaz, at last, 
and the slow sneer with which she spoke the simple words 
gave them a sting not to be conveyed by description. 
“ A good deal frightened, repeated she, still more slowly; 
“ and all because you are going to die! Well, that is the 
difference between us. AVhen you had me up there, bound 
and gagged, and told me you were going to flog me to death 
— and that is not a pleasant death to die, they tell me — 
well, I was not frightened, not at all. You promised to 
let me off, you know, if 1 would betray my mistress into 
your hands; but I never felt in the least like taking up 
with your offer. Y^ou would, my little doctor, and quick 
enough, if the chance were given you. You! you would 
betray your own mother to cannibals to be eaten alive to 
save yourself from death, or even suffering! Well, that is 
the difference between us — you are a man and I am a 
woman; but you are a coward, and I know not what fear 
means when I have made up my mind to a thing. And 
now I dare say. you would like to know what 1 am going to 
do with you, and, perhaps, why I am going to do it. You 
shall know both, and the last first. You remember Pepita, 
Doctor Lefevre? Y"es, I see that you do. Well, sir, Pepita 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


219 


was my mother, and 1 know her story! You comprehend 
it all now, don’t you? The mother is dead, killed by you; 
but the daughter lives to revenge her, and that revenge 
alone would cost you your life. But it is not alone. Be- 
sides that there are the wrongs and insults and evil inten- 
tions you have shown toward my mistress and half-sister, 
Regina; and, besides that, there are the wrongs you did to 
Regina’s mother — ” 

'The strained and bound body upon the bed gave a con- 
vulsive shudder, and Topaz stopped to analyze it. 

“ Ah, yes!” said she, at length; “ you wonder how I 
know anything about that. Well, then, 1 don’t know any- 
thing, but 1 have heard scraps, and I can imagine a great 
deal; what it precisely was I don’t know, but that it was 
something bad enough, any one can see who looks in your 
ugly face at this moment; and so, finally, my dear doctor, 
we come to my own little private account, and that would 
require at least, well, we will say, about three such lives as 
yours to settle. Why, you miserable creature, that last 
kiss which you pressed upon my lips is enough to kill you 
for! Add to that a dozen more kisses, a dozen or two em- 
braces that I dared not resent, a hundred insulting 
speeches, and twice a hundred looks of the same sort; add 
to them the time we last met in the hut up there, the fet- 
ters, the whip, the brutality, and wind up with your 
attempt to drown me, and the account is so overfull, that 
I do not know how one miserable life is to settle it.” 

And with her chin upon her hand. Topaz sat for several 
moments, her eyes meditatively fixed upon the victim, who, 
ghastly with terror, and trembling all over in an agony 
already worse than death, lay staring blankly back at her. 

“No; one life, taken in the usual way, could not pay 
your debts to me and mine. Doctor Lefevre,” said the girl, 
at length, in the same low, monotonous tone she had all 
along used — a tone far more ominous, far more intense 
than any noisy passion. 

“ But 1 have hit upon a way to make that one life of 
yours into several, and to take it a good many times over. 
See here!” 

And from a sheath concealed in the bosom of her dress 
Topaz carefully drew the silver-handled dagger, with its 
blade arabesqued in Oriental hieroglyphics, and its sweet. 


m 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 


deadly, musky odor. This dagger she held for some mo- 
ments close before Dr. Lefevre^s eyes, turning it slowly 
about, that he might see it thoroughly, yet all the while 
preserving that attitude of careless grace, her elbow upon 
her knee, her chin in her palm, her brilliant, golden eyes 
fixed meditatively, almost languidly, upon his own, which, 
blood- shot and haggard, glared terribly back at her. 

“You see this dagger, do you?” asked she, at last. 
“ Well, my friend, this dagger is poisoned so subtly and so 
well that a scratch with it — the least scratch that shall cut 
the skin —is death, a slow, lingering death, certainly, but 
a death as sure as if you were crushed at once to atoms. 
A deeper gash is quicker death, and a blow such as even a 
baby’s hand could give, would lay you dead before the 
minute passed. Now, if 1 should give you a good many 
little stabs, each one enough to kill you, yet altogether not 
enough to put you out of pain at once — don’t you think 
that it would be a good idea? 

“ Now, where shall I begin? Those lips that kissed me 
with such filthy kisses when I could not resist — suppose 1 
begin there? Now, don’t start, lest you disturb my hand! 
There, that is a neat little scratch; you hardly felt it, 1 
dare say, and yet you are a dead man, with no hope of 
rescue from this moment out. And now, that ugly, 
wicked, corrupt heart of yours, suppose I draw the sign of 
the cross just above it? — who knows but it may keep the 
devil off when he comes after you? — not deep, you know,, 
but just to cut through the skin. 

“ There, that is very pretty, very indeed; and now, sup- 
pose 1 make a P for Pepita, and an R for Regina, and, 
finally, a T for Topaz, so that you shall remember us all 
to the day of your death. There, that is done, too; and 
now — oh, I must draw a little line across the palms of those 
hands that grasped my poor mother when she would have 
fled, and that have done so much evil since. And now, I 
believe I have settled my accounts with you. Doctor 
Lefevre, and I will sit and see you die, if you will be quick 
about it; but 1 can not wait after daylight, for it would be 
unpleasant to be found here by your Juanita. She will feel 
badly, poor thing, won’t she? The only creature in the 
world that ever loved you,' so far as I know, and 1 saw you 
kick her, the other day. Poor thing! she knelt and kissed 
your foot, and you struck her hands away. But she will 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 221 

mourn for you. Women are like that— some women, at 
least. 1 am not. 

“ How queer those cuts are getting to look — all red, and 
purple, and greenish! and how they swell and gape! They 
are not pretty to look at, and yet, somehow, 1 seem to like 
looking at them!^^ 

And for a half hour longer the girl sat motionless, still 
her chin resting in her palm, her melancholy, thoughtful 
eyes fixed upon the dying man with a strange pity, that 
yet was not relenting in their depths. 

At last she rose, and spread a sheet above the swollen, 
hideous body, and face frozen in its last look of mortal 
terror — stood yet a moment longer staring down upon the 
rigid lines showing sharply through the linen pall, then 
softly went her way. 


CHAPTER XL. 

“ YOUE LIFE, OR MINE.^’ 

Night again, the clinging, murky, passionate night of 
the tropics, with its heavy perfumes stealing like magic 
into the brains of men, and tempting them to deeds of 
lawless violence or lawless love, for which the daylight 
must blush in vain — night at Esperanza; and Queen Tem- 
pest, alone in the bed-chamber of her fairy bower, threw 
open the blinds and drew aside the curtain, and seated her- 
self upon the low sill, her melancholy gaze fixed upon the 
black shadows of the palms and limes grouped before her 
window, her thoughts confused, bitter, and despairing. 

Philip Douglass was to marry Clara Vere at the Ameri- 
can Embassy upon the morrow. He had insisted upon do- 
ing so, and the bride, at first indignant and resolved, had 
yielded by slow degrees to all his plans, had remained at 
Esperanza, had consented to fulfill her compact. 

If Regina could not know, she more than suspected that 
in thus ur^fing the immediate tulfillment of Miss Vere’s 
promise, Douglass had not so much consulted his own 
wishes as hers— -as his pride, his resolution that after life 
should not count him forsworn, that the future should 
never rise up and accuse him as the man who had been 
tempted from his promised faith, from his sense of right, 
from his self-control and self-respect, by any allurements 
of the flesh or of the world. Because he loved Regina 


22Z 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


Tempest with all the power of his powerful nature, because 
he longed to clasp her to his heart*, his -bride and wife for 
evermore — Just for that reason he sternly turned his back 
upon her, heedless though two hearts broke as he did so, 
and fulfilled his compact with another woman. His honor 
should be saved, let his heart fare as it might. 

All this Regina, woman in soul though child in experi- 
ence, felt, although she could not have put it into words; 
and crouching there upon the low window-sill, her sad eyes 
fixed upon the night, she drank such draughts of bitter- 
ness as never even night and darkness bring to many a 
heart its whole life through. 

Her sad reverie was disturbed by a slight noise behind 
her, and turning her head, she saw by the dim light of the 
alabaster lamp swinging from the domed ceiling of the 
room the figure of a woman standing close beside her, 
shrouded fromliead to foot in a loose, gray mantle. 

“It is you, my mother murmured the young girl, 
scarcely startled; for in the bitter loneliness of her mood, 
the presence of anything that loved and clung to her, even 
if it were a disembodied spirit, was welcome. 

But the mantle dropped and showed the form and face 
of Topaz — her eyes gleaming, her face haggard, her atti- 
tude one of terror and constant watchfulness. 

“ Mistress, it’s your poor slave. Topaz!” murmured she, 
dropping upon her knees and seizing Regina’s hand to 
cover with breathless kisses. 

“ Topaz,.my poor Topaz! You were not drowned, then?” 

No, mistress;” and, crouching there, in the shadow, 
while Regina instinctively drew the curtain across the open 
window. Topaz told the story of her escape, her pursuit of 
Lefevre, her discovery of his plot to bring Clara Vere to 
Esperanza, and finally his death; but the hideous manner 
of that death, and her own agency in it, she left unsaid, 
replying only to Regina’s questions upon those points. 

“ Hear mistress, God was tired of his wickedness, and 
He sent one to punish him. He is dead.” 

“ Topaz, that some one, was it you?” asked Regina. 

“ Mistress, I can not tell you how he died. Let us for- 
get him, for 1 must not be found here at sunrise. You 
will give me leave to go, dear mistress, will you not? for I 
can not live at Esperanza.” 

“ You shall do as you will. Topaz/’ replied Regina, 


QUEEN 'TEMPEST. 


22 ^ 


sadly. “ I think that everything that 1 love is leaving 
me;’^ and, resting her forehead in her palms, the young 
girl was relapsing into her bitter reverie, when Topaz spoke 
abruptly, but in a whisper: 

“ That woman is here?’^ 

“ What woman, Topaz?’^ 

“ The one he is to marry. 

“Yes. They will be married to-morrow. 

“ No, mistress, not. unless you please.’^ 

“ My poor Topaz, they do not think of me. You and 
the rest made a mock queen of me here at Esperanza, and 
I thought I ruled the world; but 1 have awakened from 
that dream, and now 1 know how forlorn and helpless and 
alone 1 am.^' 

“ Mistress, the signor loves you better than her,^^ whis- 
pered Topaz, in a thick, hoarse voice. 

“ Yes, 1 know that he does,^^ replied Eegina, simply. 

‘ ‘ And you love him, mistress. Do not mind speaking 
it out to poor Topaz, who is but the slave of your breath.’^ 
“ Yes, I love him — for one night more. To-morrow, 
my aunt says, 1 must cease to love him; and so. Topaz, I 
am not going to bed at all to-night, lest I should waste one 
of these precious hours in which it is not wicked to love 
him. It is easy to keep awake when 1 remember all the 
past and think of all the future. 

“ Mistress, the signor will not marry that ice-woman to- 
morrow 

“ Ah, but ho will. Topaz. He said that he would. 

“ Mistress, he will not. He can not!^^ 

“ Why not. Topaz? Why do you say so?’^ 

“ Because, mistress, she will be dead in the morning. 

“ Dead, Topaz! What have you done?’^ exclaimed 
Regina, starting to her feet, pale as ashes, and trembling 
all over. 

“ Mistress, replied the slave, rising also, and speaking 
in a cold, hard voice, so strangely unlike her own — “ mis- 
tress, what 1 have done 1 have done. It is not you that 
did it, and you will not even know how it was done. To- 
morrow morning Clara Vere will be found dead in her bed, 
and all the doctors that ever li^ed can not tell how or why 
she died. The signor will be shocked; he will recover, he 
will turn to you for comfort, and you will be happy and 
forget poor Topaz. 


224 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 


“ No, no! you shall not go! Topaz, I command you, 
if ever you cared for my authority, if ever you loved me, 
stop and explain those dreadful words! Topaz, what have 
you done to Clara Vere?'^ 

“ Sent her to heaven, mistress.^’ 

“ You have murdered her?^^ 

“ Mistress, the signor will love you! You will be his 
wife!'' 

“ Never! never! never! so help me God!" 

“ But he will never know — " 

“ Is it done? Speak quickly! Oh, God! is it too late?" 

“ 1 do not know. The box of bonbons lay open upon 
her table beside her bed. She loves such things, and eats 
them forever. If she has eaten one within this hour, she 
will be in heaven to-morrow!" 

“ Oh, if it is too late. Topaz! There is money in my 
purse — take it all and fly — fly for your life! If you are here 
when I return — " 

And with the last words Eegina rushed from the room 
and up the stairs, bursting into the chamber where her 
guest was about retiring for the night, with small apology 
or ceremony. 

Miss Vere, half undressed, stood in the middle of the 
room, staring in astonishment at the intruder; and as she 
noticed her wild, even desperate look, evidently half in- 
clined to call for assistance. 

Upon the table at the head of the bed stood a half- 
emptied case of bonbons, and Miss Vere, with one in her 
fingers, was about raising it to her lips. 

Springing toward her, Regina snatched it from her hand, 
seized the box and flung it violently from the window, 
then stood glaring around the room as if searching for 
some other danger, or, as Clara thought, some fatal 
weapon. 

“ What is this? Have you come here to murder me?" 
demanded she, imperiously. 

“No. To save you from murder! Oh, lady! do not 
eat, or drink, or sleep in this room. Come to mine. You 
shall sleep in my own bed, and I will stay here. I will not 
trust you in this place. You belong to Philip, and I will 
save you for him." 

“ Save me? What do you mean? What new danger — 
what new intrigue is this? Are you and your servants 


QUEEK TEMPEST. 225 

plotting against me again, as you did at Elmslee?’^ de- 
manded Miss Vere, pale and agitated. 

“ Oh, lady! why will you think so of me — of me who, 
now, that you belong to Philip, would guard you from every 
harm? And, even without that, are not you beneath my 
roof, my guest, and sacred as my mother to me? Do not 
doubt me, Clara — do not suspect me. I would give my 
own life rather than that yours should bo in danger. 

And Regina, sad, humble, tearful, came close to her 
rival, and without touching her, raised her magnificent 
eyes to those of the taller blonde with so much of heart- 
break, so much of appeal in them, that even the stony 
heart of Clara Vere was softened, and with a sudden move- 
ment, she took one of Regina^s hands in hers, and looked 
keenly down at her. 

“ Well,^^ said she, at length, “ I believe you and I trust 
you. Now tell me what it all means, and why you threw 
the bonbons away, and why you warned me not to eat, or 
drink, or sleep in this room?’^ 

“ Because, said Regina, in sad simplicity — “because 
one who loves me bett^ than she loves right has tried once 
to-night to kill you, and 1 am afraid she may try again. 

“ To kill me! The bonbons — 

“ TRey were poisoned. She said you would not live un- 
til morning if you eat one.^' 

“ And you were afraid of discovery?’^ 

“You said you believed me and trusted me!^^ said 
Regina, sadly. 

“ Well, but if I had died, Philip Douglass would have 
been left to you.^^ 

“ That was what she was going to do it for.^^ 

“ Why did you not let her do it, then?’^ 

“ Could Philip have loved me with such a stain upon my 
hand, such a sin upon my soul?^^ 

“ He never need* have known. 

“ Signora, the man 1 love stands between me and God, 
and I could no more hide my heart from one than from the 
other. 

“ And the man you love, Regina — that man is Philip 
Douglass, is it not?’^ 

“ Yes, signora."*^ 

“ And you are not ashamed to tell me of it!^^ 

“ Ashamed? Ah, no, signora. I am proud to be able to 


2:^6 QUEEN TEMPEST. 

love replied Kegina, with a smile as sad as it was 

sweet. 

“ And when he is married to me and gone away, what 
will you do then, Regiua?'^ 

“ Wait here, signora. 

“ Wait for what? My death?^^ 

“ No, signora. For my own.^^ 

“ What, you will die for love of another woman’s hus- 
band?” 

“ Ah, no, signora. 1 will not love him any more when 
he is your husband, but not to love him will be to die.” 

“ Girl! Do you mean what you are saying?” 

“ Why not, signora? I owe you the truth at least, and 
I give it.” 

“ Why owe me the truth? what do you mean by that?” 
demanded Clara, sharply. 

For the first time,' Regina appeared a little confused. 
Clara perceived it, and pressed the point. 

“ Come, now, Regina, explain that as candidly as you 
have the rest, What debt do you owe me that you are de- 
termined to paj: with the truth?” ' 

“ Philip kissed me once. If I were his wife I should 
feel that the woman who had taken a kiss from him had 
robbed me of just so much that was mine.” 

“ He kissed you once! Only once?” 

“ Only once, signora.” 

“ And you believe that he loves you?” 

“ Signora, he will be your husband to-morrow.” 

“ Are you sure of that, Regina Tempest? Wait a mo- 
ment; wait while T think a little.” 

And seating herself in the nearest chair, Clara Vere 
folded her arms, drooped her head, and sat for many mo- 
ments cold and still as a statue. Then she rose, and com- 
ing to Regina’s side tapped her lightly upon the shoulder. 
The young girl woke with a start , from her reverie, 
profound and gloomy as that of the criminal who meditates 
in his midnight cell upon the death awaiting him at the 
morrow’s dawn, and raised her sad eyes to those bright, 
imperious, half-scornful and half-pitiful ones that looked 
down at her. 

“Regina,” said she, slowly, “you saved my life just 
now, I suppose, and it is not my fashion to remain long in 
anybody’s debt. How shall I pay you?” 


QUEEN TEMPEST. 227 

A flash of the old spirit kindled in Queen Tempest’s 
eyes, and her head lifted itself haughtily as she replied: 

“ You value your life very cheaply. Miss Vere, if you 
think it can be paid for.” 

“ Well, not so cheaply, perhaps. Miss Tempest. Sup- 
pose I gave you another life in exchange for this you have 
saved for me?” 

“ Another life?” 

“ Yes; let us say that of Philip Douglass.” 

“ I think you can be but mocking at me; but if you were 
in earnest I would not accept even Philip Douglass as pay- 
ment at your hands for the service I have done you.” 

“You are very proud. Miss Tempest — very proud, and 
it seems to me very noble, although 1 do not like you. 
Well, if you will not be paid, let us look at it in this way: 
You love Philip Douglass far more than you love yourself, 
do you not?” 

“ Oh, yes. That is not saying much.” 

“Not for you, perhaps; but for me it would be saying a 
great deal. 1 do not love him or any one, nor could I 
ever love any one as well as I do my own pride, my 
own dignity, my amour propre, in short. Now, Regina, 
you and Philip Douglass between you have insulted 
all those dear gods of mine very bitterly — so' bitterly, in 
fact, that I have all day been asking myself whether I 
should not break off the marriage even now. I had not re- 
solved to do it when you came in to-night — perhaps 1 
should not have resolved to do it, but now I have. Take 
Philip Douglass as a present from me, Regina; or take him 
because you love him so much better than I do or can; or 
take him because he loves you, as in my heart I believe 
that he does. At all events, take him, for I will never 
marry him — no, never, never. ” ' 

“ You will never — oh, Clara, think — think what you are 
saying! You will not — oh, you can not give him up — no, 
you shall not — you are making a noble sacrifice, and I will 
not accept it.” 

Clara Vere turned jn her walk, and looked for a full 
moment at the slender, palpitating form that followed her 
with wild, imploring gesture — looked deep into tlie dilated 
eyes, read the breathless passion of love and longing that 
illuminated the pallid face, and quivered upon the parted 




QUEEN TEMPEST. 


lips, and then placing a hand at either side of that lovely 
face, she stooped and kissed it tenderly. 

. “ Poor little girl!"^- said she. “You will break your 
heart some day if all does not go smoothly with your love; 
and I, who have no heart to break, I could envy you that it 
is so/’ 


CHAPTER XLL 

And so they married, these two, and Esperanza became, 
tio one at least, the ancient paradise returned to earth. 

“ Touch me, Philip, to let me know that I am awake, 
and not dreaming of impossible bliss!^^ she murmured, as 
they stood for the first time alone together in their beauti- 
ful home. And Philip, gathering her close to his heart, 
kissed her again and again, until the pale cheeks were rosy 
red, and the great eyes suffused with tears, half of terror, 
half of delight. 

“ Oh, Regina, Regina! I am but a man like other men, 
full of faults and shortcomings; why should this great 
happiness have come to me alone 

Let us leave them thus: they never can be happier, life 
never can be brighter, the heavens never nearer. To most 
men and women it is given once in their lives to believe 
themselves the marked and especial favorite of Heaven, to 
experience a bliss which they fondly believe all their owil, 
and which unconsciously they share with all mankind. It 
is not idly that the ancients show us Love with his eyes 
blinded,' and it was only after eating of the Tree of Knowl- 
edge that our great parents lost paradise. 

Miss Vere with her aunt remained for awhile in Havana, 
deriving much benefit to her health from the delicious cli- 
mate, and amusing herself very pleasantly in the gay 
society to which her friend, Mrs. Regina Douglass, eagerly 
introduced her. At last she returned to her native city, 
where she married well, gaining a carriage, a set of dia- 
monds, and a handsome house, and giving only her fault- 
less and well-bred manners in exchange. She has no 
children. 

Topaz accepted both her mistress’s purse and advice, 
and was never seen at Esperanza again. With her disap- 
peared J uan, and very possibly they might be heard of in 


QTJEEK TEMPEST. 

the neighboring island of Hayti, were one disposed to look 
for them. 

The Douglasses still live at Douglassdale, and occasional 
visits, and still more frequent presents, keep the path open 
between that estate and Esperanza. 

II Demonio still lives in blind and toothless but serene 
old age. 

And so, dear reader — good-bye! 


THE END. 


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The Knights of J;he Road 35 

Heinz Von Stem. Charles G. Le- 

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Chairley Burke’s in Town. James 

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Der Spider und der Fly. Charles 

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Our Boardfng-House Thanksgiving 44 
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Shamus O’Brien, The Bold Boy of 


Glingall. Samuel Lover 3 

The Soldiers’ Reward. J. W. Dono- 
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The Kitten of the Regiment 9 

Perils of a Teacher. J. W. Donovan 10 
A Climb at Rouen. M. Betham Ed- 
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Catching the Colt 12 

Something for Strikers 13 

Harmony 13 

By the Wayside. E. Doherty. ..... 14 

The Un welcomed Baby 15 

Running Before It. William Con- 
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“Warned.” Crape Myrtle 17 

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Chickens Come Home to Roost. 

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The Origin of Whiskey. H. Burgess 24 
The Two Words. J. E. Dinkenga. . 25 

Listeners. M. K. D 25 

The Delinquent Subscriber. Mar- 
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“ Peace, be Still.” Violet 27 

A Short Debate on Rum. “ Th’ 

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Dandie. M. F. Bradley 23 

The Nameless Guest. James Clar- 
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Slug Number Eleven... 30 

A Famous Fight. David Graham 

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More Cruel Than War 38 

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Joe Sieg. Alexander Anderson .... 39 

Education. C. Phillips 41 

Ingratitude: Or Old Sport and His 

Master. Fred Williams 41 

Old Uncle Jake 43 

On the Rappahannock 44 

The Better Land... 45 

Charity 45 

St, Michael the Weigher 46 

The Orphan’s New Year. O. H. , . . 46 

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The Old Minstrel 47 


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The Life-Boat 28 

Milton’s Last Poem 28 

How to Enliven Your Days— Work 

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The Soldier’s Pardon. James Smith. 29 
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The Last Broadside. Elizabeth T. 

P. Beach 31 

The Faithful, Friend 32 

His Last Run 33 

The Ship on Fire. C. McKay 

The Care of God 34 

My Ship at Sea. Thomas Dunn 

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The Sailor’s Mother. W. Words- 
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Independence Bell ,38 

The Unknown Future. Mary Kyle 

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Creating Criminals. Charles Dud- 
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Martin’s Puzzle. George Meredith 38 
The Ladder of St. Augustine. Henry 
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The Step-Mother. Nathan D. Urner 41 

Success. C. M. Harger 42 

The Good Woman. I. B. Mean 42 

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None Will Miss Thee 44 

Little Orphant Annie. James Whit- 
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Difference Between Taste and Gen- 
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Strength for To-Day 46 

Washington. Eliza Cook 46 

Found Drowned 47 

The Rosary .* 48 


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Without Me 8 

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Christ not a Christian. A. D 25 


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Speech of Shrewsbury before Queen 

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The Forging of the Anchor; S. Fer- 
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And Then? James Jeffrey Roche. . 28 
The Tell-tale Heart. Edgar Allen 

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The Convict’s Hopeless Lot. An 

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The Star of Bethlehem. Henry 

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Success in Life. James A. Gar- 
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The Hindoo’s Search for Truth 83 

The Spiritualist. L. W S3 

Last Charge of Ney. J. T. Head- 

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The Song of the Headlight. Hardy 

Jackson ,30 

One of the Signers. John Green- 

leaf Whittier 87 

Apparitions. Thomas Carlyle 38 

Farewell to Nature. Thomas Gor- 
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Jim. James Whitcomb Riley 40 

Grant’s Strategy. Judge Veazey... 41 

Just for To-day 43 

A Hero of the Tropics. I. Edgar 

Jones 43 

Priests Unto God. Rose Terry 

Cooke 43 

The Blayflower. Edward Everett. . . 44 
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A Bachelor. Edgar I. Brenner 31 

A City Incident. George Bancroft 

Griffith 20 

A Noble Mind in a Grand Bo<ly 38 

A Paraphrase of Seneca. Eugene 

Field 17 

A Picture. H. Antoine D’Arcv 15 

After Death in Aivibia. Sir Edwin 

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An Old Temperance Poem 29 

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Ballad of the Bloody Brook. Ed- 
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Boys. Go Home 25 

Comfort One Another 44 

Crying for the Moon 35 

Death Carol. Walt Whitman. 19 

Evil of Dueling. Lyman Beecher. . 12 
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Farmer Kent’s Piirson. Margaret 

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liiusions. E. A 36 

In Eulogy of Water. Emo^ Storrs 8 
Moral Power of Public Opinion. 

Daniel Webster 20 

No National Greatness Without Mo- 
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Nobility 48 


“ Our Times not Degenerate.” 

Chas. Emory Smith 5 

One of the Multitude. Margaret 
Veiey 47 


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Patient Mercy Jones. James T. 

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Remembrance of Wrongs. Rufus 

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Royalty. Thomas S. Collier 7 

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'I’he King’s Daughters 21 

The Centre of Gravity 22 

The Four Princes. Arthur G. 

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The Poet's Political Thoughts. John 

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The Man Who Rode to Conemaugh. 

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The Game of Warriors 41 

The Y'ellow Sands of Sussex. Doug- 
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The Face Upon the Floor. H. An- 
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The King’s Dust. Harriet Prescott 

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The Cliur<*h and the World. By Ma- 
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The Simple 3Ian and the Wise Man. 

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The Moan of the Attic. Margaret 

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To Florence Nightingale of Eng- 
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Two. Rose Terry Cooke 11 

Under the Daisies 32 

Waiting for the Mail. S. W. Foss.. 40 

War with Big Guns 30 

“Where the Willow Makes a 
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